A Modern Mercenary

by K. Prichard and Hesketh Vernon Hesketh Prichard

  CHAPTER XXVII.

  THE MAN OF THE HOUR.

  'Selpdorf is the man of the hour,' Counsellor once said to Rallywood,and the Major's sayings had a trick of lingering in the memory. With theChancellor then still remained the key to the situation. He wasimplicated in the conspiracy, but he had less to gain and far more tolose than the others. A dangerous condition and one possible ofdevelopment.

  All this passed in a flash through Rallywood's mind as the opposite dooropened to admit M. Selpdorf, who replied stiffly to Rallywood's bow.

  'I was not prepared to see you this evening,' began Selpdorf.

  'I have brought the despatches, your Excellency,' replied Rallywood,taking the packet from his pocket but continuing to hold it in his hand.

  Selpdorf eyed him.

  'From whom?'

  'Lieutenant Unziar.'

  The affair was falling out in an unexpected manner. Selpdorf was astudent of human nature as all of his craft must be, and Rallywoodoffered for his observation a character out of the common and hard fora Maasaun to read. How had he escaped from the dilemma in which he hadbeen so carefully placed? The Chancellor was curious to hear. The manwas an artist in the human passions.

  'From Lieutenant Unziar?' Selpdorf repeated tentatively. 'And yourprisoner? The man whom I ordered you to keep at the block-house?'

  The Chancellor half expected to hear that Counsellor was also inRevonde, and that Rallywood with an unassuming but unspeakableeffrontery had called to explain his own view of the matter.

  'Unziar is with him--with Major Counsellor at Kofn Ford. Unziar wasunable to ride on at once after crossing the river, which is in flood.Therefore I have come.'

  Was it possible Rallywood had merely shirked facing the difficulty inthis way? thought Selpdorf.

  'Ah, Major Counsellor? And these are the despatches?'

  'These are Major Counsellor's private despatches, which were stolen fromhim within the frontier of Maasau!' said Rallywood.

  Selpdorf's round eyes showed their lids in an odd flicker. The attackwas sudden. He brushed his moustache upwards with a thoughtful movementof the finger and thumb, regarding Rallywood as he did so.

  'Then why have you brought them to me?' he said at last.

  'Because a soldier should see no further than the point of his sword,your Excellency,' replied Rallywood slowly.

  'Good! And how do you come to know what the packet contains?'

  'The persons who robbed Major Counsellor did not even take theprecaution of placing it under another cover. He recognised it at theblock-house.'

  'It seems to me then that you had a decision to make at theblock-house?'

  'Yes,' said Rallywood simply.

  But it was not a subject to bear discussion.

  'As a soldier of Maasau you decided rightly.' Selpdorf misjudgedRallywood for the moment; it crossed his mind that this was a mercenaryafter all and to be bought.

  'But as a man I now wish to resign my commission.'

  Selpdorf raised his brows.

  'But why? At the very moment when you have proved your faithfulness andyour zeal? When we owe you recognition of these high qualities?'

  'I want nothing, your Excellency, but to go out from this house a freeman,' returned Rallywood coldly.

  'Reconsider your words, Captain Rallywood.'

  'Even if other difficulties had not arisen,' went on Rallywood, 'I mayremind your Excellency that a soldier's oath does not cover robbery andassassination.'

  Selpdorf was, and looked, astonished.

  'I don't understand you,' he said gravely. 'Pray tell me what you mean.'

  'I found Major Counsellor alone and unconscious in a single carriagethat had been sent rolling down the incline on the line where theoutgoing mail train could not fail to collide with it. The inference isclear. Some one wished to make an end of him--in a railway accident. Butthe plan was a curiously stupid one, for nothing could satisfactorilyexplain Major Counsellor's presence there, since it was well known tothe British Legation in Revonde that he was entering, not leavingMaasau.'

  Selpdorf stood silent. Here was another ill-devised amendment born ofCount Sagan's blundering brain.

  'It is a very strange story,' he said at length. 'Had the train come incollision with the carriage which you assert was on the down line----'

  'The troops from Kofn and the railway people at Alfau can prove that.'

  'The mail might have been derailed, with no one can tell what loss oflife.'

  'Count Simon holds life cheap,' said Rallywood. 'No life that stands inhis way can be safe. Not even the life of Mademoiselle Selpdorf!'

  The Chancellor was moved for once.

  'You are out of your senses!' he said sternly.

  'It is true!'

  Both men looked around. Valerie had entered.

  'Father, you must hear me before you--before you----'

  She glanced at Rallywood and stopped.

  'Go, Valerie; you have nothing to do with these things.'

  Selpdorf met her as she came towards him.

  'You must hear me to-night, father. You are mistaken; I have had a greatdeal to do with them. I know all that Captain Rallywood has said toyou--yes, I had a right to know. For it was I who brought MajorCounsellor to the Duke's apartments at the Castle, because I knew therewas a plot against his Highness. But I did not know it was a German plotin which Baron von Elmur was using Count Sagan. Oh, you must be on yourguard against them!'

  'Who has been frightening you with all this nonsense?' asked Selpdorfwith cold suspicion.

  'You don't understand me! Father, I know how Captain Colendorp died. Isaw it--the struggle and his fall over the cliff. Then I guessed hisHighness was in danger, and I went to warn him. Captain Rallywood, tellmy father of Count Sagan's visit to the Duke's rooms in the middle ofthe night with Baron von Elmur. I--we, Isolde and I--heard the shots.You do not know it, but there is a plot. Your life is not safe! CaptainRallywood is right; no life that stands in Count Sagan's way is safe!And you on whom the State depends--you who alone can uphold herliberty--you are the first they will try to destroy! He hates you, elsewhy should he try to kill me?'

  She was clinging to his arm.

  'To kill you? If I thought that was true--if I could believe he meant toinjure you----'

  It added very much to Selpdorf's difficulties that he had a conscienceand a heart. Perhaps Valerie had kept both awake. He, who acted a partto all the world, had been sedulous to maintain a high _role_ before hisdaughter. Perhaps he valued her absolute faith in him even more than herlove, which is a commoner attitude of mind than we realise.

  He felt himself at fault. Although he had heard no details to enable himto judge for himself, yet he knew he could rely upon Valerie's statementthat an attempt had been made upon her life. Count Simon'sunscrupulousness was an old tale, but this crime was not onlycold-blooded but also extraordinarily stupid, since the faintestsuspicion of foul play would finally estrange the one person in allMaasau whose help was necessary to the success of his plans and hopes.It is to be doubted whether the Count's ineptitude did not disgust theChancellor more thoroughly than his treachery towards Valerie.

  Selpdorf was at no time a man who made up his mind irrevocably.Astuteness sometimes keeps step with uncertainty. To a clever man somany sides of a question are visible. On all counts he was now preparedto yield to Valerie's wishes; perhaps looking ahead even in thatmoment, he saw a fresh combination before him, which, while quiteequally safe and useful to himself, omitted Count Sagan.

  The Chancellor raised his eyes. At this moment--diplomatically--he wassuperb. He had an air of sagacious decision, an air of holding amaster-stroke in reserve, whereas he was in reality merely retiring to anegative position to wait upon events.

  'Tell me the story,' he said.

  'There is nothing further to tell,' replied Rallywood. 'Mademoiselle hasgiven you the main facts. But for her Maasau would to-day be a provinceof Germany, in fact if not in name.

  'I have been misinfor
med and deceived in an incomprehensible manner,'the Chancellor said emphatically. There was still the matter ofCounsellor's despatches. Nothing was now to be gained by keeping them,whereas by giving them back to the old diplomatist, Maasau was sure toprofit for the time at least. The difficulty was to get rid of thepacket without loss of prestige to himself. 'Now as to MajorCounsellor's despatches,' he added doubtfully.

  'You will send them back to him,' said Valerie eagerly.

  'You cannot see the difficulty of my position.' The Chancellor laid hishand upon her shoulder. 'To be frank with you, and in confidence,Captain Rallywood, I have not been ignorant that an understandingexisted between Count Sagan and the Baron von Elmur. I have even beenobliged to countenance it to a certain extent. As you know, they areaware that these despatches have been sent to me. If I use them as mydaughter suggests, I need scarcely point out that trouble must ensue,since I, more or less, represent Maasau. Now we cannot afford to offendGermany. She only awaits a pretext to hurl down her army of occupationupon us. Had I never had those despatches the way might have beeneasier.'

  His glance at Rallywood held a large reproach.

  'But, father, in honesty and justice'--

  'It is a case of private justice as opposed to national necessity. IfCaptain Rallywood had sacrificed his public to his private honour, if hehad chosen to prefer his country's cause to his oath of fealty----'

  Rallywood understood.

  'No one knows I am here,' he said.

  'Ah, true!'

  'No one need ever know where the despatches have been. In four hoursthey shall be with Major Counsellor at the British Legation.'

  'If you, Captain Rallywood, will bear the whole responsibility thatwould simplify the matter. Otherwise it is war.' Selpdorf lookedmeaningly at Rallywood as he spoke.

  But Valerie was not deceived.

  'Not that! not that!' she cried.

  'It must be that or nothing.' Selpdorf did not look at her and he spokealmost brusquely.

  'I know what it means. They will say he was false to his oath! Oh,father, is there no other way? I cannot let him go!'

  Rallywood's face changed. Fate was crushing her two strange gifts intohis hands, love and death at the same moment! He crossed to Valerie'sside, and drawing her to him his gray eyes looked their courage andtheir happiness into hers.

  'My darling, this makes it easy, whatever comes!'

  'It may be death! It will be death!' He winced at the low agonisedwhisper.

  She turned to her father.

  'Father, you have the power to do anything you please in Maasau. Youwill save him for me! You can save him! Promise me that or I cannot lethim go!'

  Selpdorf was touched. He liked Rallywood. There was much in thesingle-hearted soldier that appealed to his sympathies. But----

  'I will not deceive you, Valerie, at such a time as this,' he answeredgently; 'I cannot foresee what may happen. I may not be able to preventthe worst. Captain Rallywood holds the despatches. He offers tosacrifice himself for the State, and the decision rests with you.'

  Valerie buried her face in her hands. The clock moved noiselessly on andon, and the very air seemed to throb in the silence. Then the girlraised her head and looked steadily at Rallywood.

  'It would not be love if I said otherwise. You would not love me if Isaid otherwise. You must go, John!'