CHAPTER XV
A TREACHEROUS ATTACK
It was not until I was being driven to von Nauheim's house that I saw ablunder in my plan. I ought not to have left the palace at all, nor tohave allowed von Nauheim to be for one moment out of my sight. I hadseen him while I was in conversation with the baron; and he had, indeed,appeared to keep near me ostentatiously. This I attributed to his wishto make me dissociate him from the attempt on Minna; and I knew he wasat the palace when I left. But he had now had half an hour's grace, andit was obvious that I might have trouble in finding him, and, further,that he might use the time to get to see Minna's double, supposing shehad not been carried too far away. My suspense during the short drivewas very keen. While all was going so well, I myself had endangered thewhole scheme by this act of incredible shortsightedness. But at hishouse I was relieved. When I inquired for him, the servant told me hewas at home.
"Has he been long back from the palace?" I asked indifferently.
"Not very long, your Highness; about half an hour," said the man.
I breathed freely once more. It was better luck than I had deserved.
"Show me to him at once," I said sharply.
The room was empty when I entered, and the man explained that his masterwas dressing, and that he would announce my visit. Suspicious oftrickery in even small things, I kept the room door open lest vonNauheim should attempt to slip away while I was shut up inside it. Buthe made no attempt of the sort, and after keeping me waiting long enoughto try my patience he came in smiling and wearing an air of insolenttriumph.
"Ah, Prince, so you've come to pay me a visit, eh? I thought you werenever going to enter my doors again. My man told me it was urgentbusiness, too. You look a bit out of sorts. What's up?"
"I come with very serious news," I said.
"Egad, you look it, too," he broke in. "What's the matter?"
"That our whole scheme has fallen through. My cousin, I have everyreason to fear, has been carried off by the Ostenburg agents."
"Carried off by the Ostenburgs! why, man, what nonsense is this?" hecried, with an air of incredulity. "Half an hour ago she was kissingthat lunatic's hand."
"Nevertheless what I say is true. When she left the throne-room she andthe Baroness Gratz entered the carriage to return home, and the carriagehas never reached the house. I cannot account for it," I cried, as ifamazed and baffled. "That is the only moment she has not been under thestrictest guard and watch. But she has gone, and what can it mean butthat they have got her?"
"You mean to say you were so foolish as to let her drive through Munichalone, or, rather, with no one but a silly old woman with her, on a daylike this, and at such a crisis. Well, you took the responsibility ofguarding her, and must put up with the consequences. But I can't believeit."
"The thing is just as I say," I answered, watching him closely.
He pretended to think, then he shook his head and replied:
"You must have jumped to a wrong conclusion altogether. The thing'smonstrous. I expect she's just ordered the coachman to drive about thecity a bit to show off her fine clothes, and is back by this time."
"You know her too well to think anything of the sort. She has a veryclear knowledge of the dangers surrounding her."
"Then you shouldn't have taken her out of my control. And why do youcome to me? The last time you were here you made quite a theatricalscene, after which you and I were to be strangers, I thought. Why, then,come to me now?"
"You have an even closer interest in this part of the plot than any oneelse. She is your promised wife; and it was my duty to acquaint youfirst with what had happened, and get your assistance in any search tobe made."
"You're wonderfully mindful of your duty all of a sudden," he sneered,"Now that you've got us into this mess, you come whining to me to getyou out of it."
"I've come out of no regard for you," I answered warmly.
"You've come quite as willingly as I welcome you. Believe that. And whatdo you want me to do?"
"You had better join with me in searching for her."
"Thank you--for less than nothing. I am to be put to the trouble oftrying to find her in order that you may once more have the pleasure ofkeeping her away from me. I think you had better go and do your ownspy-work."
We were each deceiving the other, though I had the clew to his attitude,and we were both wasting time in quarrelling which, had we been inearnest, we should have been only too eager to spend in the search. Mymotive was of course so to occupy his time that he would have no time togo to the girl; and his object was to keep me as long as possible frommaking inquiries to trace Minna. I let him appear to have his way, andwe spent over an hour wrangling, disputing, and recriminating.
At last he exclaimed that it was no use for us to quarrel; we had bettergo and tell the news to Baron Heckscher and consult him. So long as weremained together, I did not care where we went nor whom we saw; andafter he had occupied a very long time in changing his dress again--timewasted purposely, of course--we drove to the baron's house.
He was a far better actor than von Nauheim, and his consternation andanger were excellently assumed.
"It is ruin to everything. How could you allow it, Prince? We haveplaced the most precious charge in your hands, have left to you what itwas your right, as the only male relative of the countess, to claim, themost delicate work of protecting the person of our future Queen; and nowthis has happened. I am astounded, dismayed, completely baffled. I hadnot the faintest idea that even a soul among the whole Ostenburg circlehad a thought of what we were planning; and now, just when everything isall but ripe, this calamity has fallen like a thunderbolt."
And he continued to lament in this fashion at great length and with mostvoluble energy--an exceedingly artistic waste of much further time.
"Heaven knows what may happen next," he cried later on. "If these menget wind who has been in the plot, the whole city will be red withmurder. For God's sake, Prince, be careful. You must be of courseassociated with the unfortunate countess as her relative and as the latePrince's successor, and I warn you most solemnly to be on your guard,most careful and vigilant."
It was a clever stroke, and I understood it well enough. I was to beattacked, but my suspicions of any complicity on his part were to besilenced by this warning.
"My life is of no account; I will not live, indeed, if, through my lackof care, anything happens to my cousin. Death would be my only solace!"I exclaimed passionately.
And this was made the text for a further and longer discussion, until atlast Baron Heckscher cried out, as if in sudden dismay:
"But what are we doing? Wasting time in unavailing discussion, whilethat innocent girl may be enduring God only knows what."
I sprang to my feet also, as if equally distressed. We had occupiedhours of valuable time where minutes would have sufficed had we reallybeen in earnest; and the hour when we were due at the ball was fastapproaching.
"But what of to-night's proceedings?" asked von Nauheim.
"We must go forward as if nothing of this had happened. I, for one, amall against giving up until we are really beaten. I will cause inquiryto be made at once in a hundred different quarters by our friends andagents, and maybe we shall yet find the countess in time for to-night'swork. Is not that best?"
I pretended to demur.
"I fear it is useless. Cannot everything be put off until my cousin isfound?"
"No, no, far safer to go on," answered the baron, a little too eagerly."Even if we cannot present the countess as the future Queen to thepeople to-night, we are almost sure to be able to find her beforeto-morrow; and we must make the best excuse possible for her absenceto-night."
I raised more objections, and thus wasted more time, only giving way inthe end with apparent reluctance. Nearly another hour passed in a freshheated discussion, and when we separated it was ten o'clock.
I calculated that von Nauheim might safely be left now. I had kept himwithout food for five hours, and I knew
he would barely have time torush home, put on his fancy-dress costume, snatch a hasty meal, and getto the ball at the appointed time for the meeting of the chief actors inthe night's business.
I was soon to have evidence, however, that if I had been active in mypreparations my antagonists had also been busy, and had laid deliberateplans for my overthrow at that very moment.
When I left the baron's house, I found, to my surprise, that my carriagehad gone.
"You can't even keep in touch with your own servants, it seems, when youwant them, to say nothing of guarding the Countess Minna," sneered vonNauheim.
"Apparently not," I answered; but my momentary chagrin was merged thenext instant in the thought that this was probably no accident. Iremembered that von Nauheim had left the room once for a few minutes,and I read the incident as a danger-signal.
"We'd better have a cab called," he added, and he sent a servant out forone.
When the man returned with one, my companion said:
"Come along, Prince, we've no time to lose."
For a moment I hung back, but, reflecting that I had better not even yetshow my hand, I followed him.
The man drove off slowly at first, and as the vehicle lumbered heavilyalong I felt in my pocket to make sure my revolver was ready for use inneed. Von Nauheim was obviously nervous. At first he whistled anddrummed with his fingers on the window, and peered out into the streets.It was a dark night, and the driver had left the main road and wastaking us through some narrow and ill-lighted streets, and was drivingmuch more quickly.
"Where's the idiot taking us?" exclaimed von Nauheim, assuming a tone ofanger. "Doesn't the dolt know his way?"
"He shouldn't have left the main street, should he?" I askedunconcernedly. "Tell him which way to drive. I don't know it."
He put his head out and called to the driver, and a short heatedaltercation took place, which ended in von Nauheim bidding him drive asfast as he could, since we were in a furious hurry.
The man now whipped up his horse, the cab travelling at a very quickpace indeed, rattling and jolting, swaying and bumping over the roughroad with great violence. I began to think there was a plan to overturnit and take the chance of dealing me some injury in the consequentconfusion when I might lie in the ruins of it. But there was more thanthat intended.
I did not know the district in the least, but I knew we had already beenmuch longer in the vehicle than should have sufficed to carry us eitherto von Nauheim's house or mine, and I thought it time to put a stop tothe little play.
"Stop him," I said to my companion. "I am going no farther in this crazything. He's either a fool or drunk, or worse."
"What are you afraid of?" he returned, with a laugh. "We're going allright. I know where we are." And I saw him look out anxiously into thedark.
"Well, I'm going no farther."
And I put my hand out of the window and loosened the handle of the door,while I called to the driver to stop. I would not turn my back to vonNauheim for fear of treachery.
"He can't hear you," he gibed. "Put your head out of the window and callhim, unless; you're afraid of the dark," and he laughed again.
The situation was becoming graver every moment, and I cursed myself forhaving been such a foolhardy idiot as to have stepped into a snare setright before my eyes. The carriage was travelling at a high rate ofspeed, and I had no doubt that I was being carried away from Munich inorder to prevent my being present at the ball.
To jump out was impossible without giving my companion an opportunity todeal me a blow or a stab from behind, which, even if it did not kill me,would certainly disable me at a juncture when everything depended uponmy retaining the fullest use of every faculty and every ounce ofstrength I possessed. Yet I suspected that to sit still and do nothingwas to allow myself to be carried into some carefully prepared ambush,where the consequences might be even worse.
"I believe you are afraid of the dark," said my companion after a pause;and I could see in the indistinct, vacillating light that his face worea confident, sneering look of infinitely malicious triumph.
I felt it would be madness to let him carry the matter farther.
"There is some devilment here," I said sternly. "This is allpreconcerted. Stop that mad fool out there, and let's have no more ofit."
"What do you mean? How dare you?"
Then he stopped suddenly, and I saw him rise from his seat and look outthrough the front windows of the carriage.
"By God! what does it mean?" he exclaimed excitedly.
His face had lost all its jaunty, blustering expression and had turnedgray with sudden fear.
"He's fallen off the box, or jumped off," he cried in a tone hoarse withpanic.
It was true. The driver had disappeared, and the horse, freed from allcontrol, was stretching himself out at a wild gallop.
"For God's sake, what had we better do, Prince?" cried the coward,turning to me in positively abject fear.
It was my turn now to smile. His precious play had broken up completely,and instead of having got me into a snare he had brought himself into amess that was likely enough to cost him his life.
"It serves you right," I growled, with a rough oath. "You'll be lucky ifyou get out of this mess alive."
He was a coward through and through, and the revulsion of feeling fromtriumph at having tricked me into his power to the realization that hehimself was in dire peril was more than his nerves could stand. Hegroaned, and covered his eyes as if to shut out the danger, and thenfell back in his seat, limp and flaccid, like a girl in a terror-swoon.
There was nothing more to be feared from him, and I turned to considerto help myself. I opened the door of the swaying, swinging carriage, andtried to judge the chances of a leap out into the road.
I could see nothing except in the feeble, oscillating, fitful light ofthe lamps, while the door bumped and dashed against me so violently thatI had to grip hard to prevent myself being thrown out altogether. Itseemed impossible to hope for escape that way.
Yet I did not know the road; and, for aught I could tell, any minutemight find us dashed to pieces. To sit still, therefore, and wait forthe worst to happen was at least equally perilous.
I thought of trying to clamber on to the box-seat so as to get controlof the horse; but with the vehicle swaying and bumping as it was thechances were ten thousand to one against. And if I fell in the effort, Ishould be under the wheels.
Then an idea occurred to me--to wound the horse with a revolver-shot. Itwas desperate; but all courses were that. The light from the lamps shoneon the horse sufficiently to let me see where to shoot; and, grippingwith my left hand on to the door frame, I leaned out as far as I daredand, taking careful aim, fired.
I LEANED OUT AS FAR AS I DARED, AND TAKING CAREFUL AIM,FIRED.]
I missed the horse altogether, or grazed him very slightly, andfrightened him; for I felt the vehicle give a violent jolt to one sideand then forward, being nearly upset in the process. Then it dashedonward at a greater speed than before.
I leaned out once more and, getting this time a clearer aim, I firedagain. There was a wild and desperate plunge, during which the carriageseemed to stop dead, then there was a terrific smash, and the nextinstant horse and carriage were lying in an indistinguishable heap inthe middle of the road; and I found myself lying unhurt a few yards off.
I got up, and ran to look for von Nauheim. One of the lamps was stillburning, and by the light of it I made a discovery that told me much.The horse was no ordinary cab hack, but a valuable beast worth a placein any man's stud. This was clear evidence to me that the whole thinghad been planned.
My companion was lying under a heap of the wrecked carriage; and aftermuch trouble I hauled him out, laid him by the roadside, and endeavoredto find out whether he was much hurt, or had only fainted from fright.
I could not get him round, however; and as my presence in Munich was tooessential to admit of my remaining with him, I was just starting to walkback, meaning to send him help as
soon as I could find it, when I heardthe voices of men approaching.
I was still suspicious of treachery, and instantly on my guard.
"Is that you, Fritz?" called a voice through the dark. "Why didn't youcome on to the proper place?"
I jumped to the conclusion that these were the men who were waiting inambush at the spot where the carriage ought to have taken me. But I didnot know who Fritz was, unless he were the driver, who had fallen off.
"We have had an accident here," I called in reply, muffling my voice;"and the Prince von Gramberg has been badly hurt."
"Is that your Honor speaking?" asked the voice again.
"Come along quickly," I cried. "Fritz"--I blurred the word so that itmight pass for any name--"has fallen off the box. You know what to dowith the Prince. I must return at once."
"We know," was the answer. "Your Honor's horse is here"--and a man cameup with a led horse.
"Do your work properly," I said as I clambered into the saddle, "andmind he's a bit delirious. Pay no heed to what he says till you get myinstructions."
And with that I clapped my heels into the ribs of my borrowed horse andgalloped off through the dark, laughing to myself at the thought thatvon Nauheim himself had fallen into the clutches of the very rascals inwhose hands he had designed to leave me.