A Modern Mercenary
Page 28
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE ARREST.
By the following evening tongues were busy in Revonde. Rumour andmystery and an absence of any definite information added zest to thetown talk. The broken reports were curious.
Major Counsellor had fallen down the staircase at the British Legationand injured his head, his brow being much contused. His return toRevonde was explained on the ground that Germany and England had joinedforces in compelling Selpdorf to lessen the heavy taxation with whichMaasau was burdened. Count Sagan had been seen in the city with alowering face--ah, yes! it was well known he had a most patrioticdistrust of German interference. Madame de Sagan had quarreled with herhusband because she had insisted on helping Mademoiselle Selpdorf, whowas about to be married to Baron von Elmur, in the choice of hertrousseau. Some excitement was being caused in the Guards' barracks bythe case of Captain Rallywood, whom Count Sagan accused of using hisinfluence unduly with his brother-officers to forward the projects ofGermany. Some even went so far as to say that he was in arrest, andothers were found who shook their heads and laughed, professing to beaware of a yet deeper reason for the colonel-in-chief's animosityagainst the English captain.
Out of all this chaff the one grain of truth was that Counsellor,released by Unziar on the authority of a telegram from Rallywood, hadarrived by the first train in the morning and had at once proceeded tothe British Legation. There he found Rallywood waiting for him. 'Youhave seen the Chancellor?' asked Counsellor, looking hard at Rallywood,whose brown face wore a look he had never seen upon it before. 'Why wasI released? Am I already too late?'
'No, you are not too late. You must see the Duke at once. Here are yourdespatches. Good-bye, Major, I'll meet you presently.'
'I shall not in all probability see Duke Gustave again. My part is overand done with. The world, my dear John, never sees a national policyuntil it begins to fly. There is no credit for hatching the egg. Onewould almost think it hatched of itself. Occasionally the egg is foundto be addled, and then the old birds make away with it in private. Butdon't go yet. How have you managed to keep these? What does it mean?'
'It means principally that you must forget you have been robbed, thatElmur's game is up, and that you were mistaken in your opinion of theChancellor.'
Counsellor looked hurriedly through the papers contained in the packet,'John,' he said suddenly, as he folded up a small sheet of cypher notes,'you are an infernal liar.'
Rallywood laughed and his spurs jingled as he left the room, glad tohave escaped so cheaply from Counsellor's keen observation. The oldMajor went to the window and watched him ride away in the sunshine, agallant figure in his glittering uniform, sitting squarely on his bigbay charger. No suspicion crossed his thoughts that Rallywood wasprobably taking his last ride through the sunny streets, that at everystride of his high-stepping horse he drew nearer to the final scene ofall. He had gathered from Rallywood's bearing that the difficulties inhis path had somehow been surmounted. Rallywood was capable. He had wonthe day by energy or pluck or both, but the old diplomatist had no timeat the moment to trouble his head as to the exact means.
Before the forenoon was over Counsellor, acting through the properchannels, secured Maasau's acceptance of the British proposals, and asatisfactory undertaking which excluded all rivals from the field, atany rate during the Duke's lifetime. Counsellor did not appear in thenegotiations. He remained shut up at the Legation, but when at lengththey came to public knowledge the German party were not under anydelusion; they recognised to whose direct offices they owed defeat.
Baron von Elmur said nothing, as a matter of fact he did nothing, buthe used his influence with an effect that was yet to bear fruit. He wasinclined to suspect Selpdorf, but the Chancellor proved that he had onlycarried out the German's own suggestion in sending Rallywood to theFrontier. Ill-luck, he argued, combined with Sagan's blundering, haddone the rest. He deplored it. It was clear that Rallywood, takingadvantage of his position, and under pretence of carrying the despatchesto the Chancellor had simply gone to Revonde and wired to Unziar a falseorder of release for Major Counsellor. The sole delinquent wasRallywood, and the Count in a torrent of curses promised himself a timeof reckoning.
The day, which had begun in a brief burst of sunshine, closed in clouds.Evening climbed sullenly up out of the bleak river.
Traffic died in the streets, and the cloaked troopers passing hither andthither against the rising tsa became the chief objects to be seen asnight gathered.
Rallywood stood at the side window of his quarters looking out over thetwinkling city. He seemed to have had as yet no time for regret orgloomy anticipation. He had dwelt absorbed on the single fact thatValerie loved him. He was ready to sacrifice himself and his hopes witha smile. Later on, in sorrow and heaviness of heart, he accused himselfbitterly of spoiling Valerie's young life. But he had not reached thatstage yet; he was lingering in the first transient period when men andwomen see visions and dream dreams, when the present is lost in therecent past, while love's first spell is laid upon them, and the lightthat never was on land or sea blinds them to the chances and changes ofcommon life. As long as the glory of it lasts a man is caught up intothe seventh heaven, and the things of earth have no power over him.
But the breaking of the vision came to Rallywood sufficiently quickly.His view of the lamp-lit city grew suddenly blurred and he saw insteadhis own reflection in the polished glass, as the lights were turned onin the room behind him. In that same instant too the vague sweet outlookfaded from his mind.
Then a hand was laid upon his shoulder and he saw another figuremirrored beside his own against the dark background of the night. Therewas a suggestion of reluctance in Unziar's movements.
'I regret, Captain Rallywood, that I have been ordered to place you inarrest.'