CHAPTER XXIV
BENEATH THE GROUND
While Baldos was standing guard in the long, lofty hallway the IronCount was busy with the machinations which were calculated to result ina startling upheaval with the break of a new day. He prepared and sworeto the charges preferred against Baldos. They were despatched to theprincess for her perusal in the morning. Then he set about preparing thevilest accusations against Beverly Calhoun. In his own handwriting andover his own signature he charged her with complicity in the betrayal ofGraustark, influenced by the desires of the lover who masqueraded as herprotege. At some length he dwelt upon the well-laid plot of the spy andhis accomplice. He told of their secret meetings, their outrages againstthe dignity of the court, and their unmistakable animosity towardGraustark. For each and every count in his vicious indictment againstthe girl he professed to have absolute proof by means of more than onereputable witness.
It was not the design of Marlanx to present this document to theprincess and her cabinet. He knew full well that it would meet the fateit deserved. It was intended for the eyes of Beverly Calhoun alone. Bymeans of the vile accusations, false though they were, he hoped toterrorize her into submission. He longed to possess this lithe,beautiful creature from over the sea. In all his life he had nothungered for anything as he now craved Beverly Calhoun. He saw that hisposition in the army was rendered insecure by the events of the lastday. A bold, vicious stroke was his only means for securing the prize helonged for more than he longed for honor and fame.
Restless and enraged, consumed by jealousy and fear, he hung about thecastle grounds long after he had drawn the diabolical charges. He knewthat Baldos was inside the castle, favored, while he, a noble of therealm, was relegated to ignominy and the promise of degradation.Encamped outside the city walls the army lay without a leader. Each hoursaw the numbers augmented by the arrival of reserves from the districtsof the principality. His place was out there with the staff. Yet hecould not drag himself away from the charmed circle in which his preywas sleeping. Morose and grim, he anxiously paced to and fro in anobscure corner of the grounds.
"What keeps the scoundrel?" he said to himself angrily.
Presently, a villainous looking man dressed in the uniform of theguards, stealthily approached. "I missed him, general, but I will gethim the next time." growled the man.
"Curse you for a fool!" hissed Marlanx through his teeth. As anotherhireling came up. "What have you got to say?"
The man reported that Baldos had been seen on the balcony alone,evidently on watch.
Marlanx ground his teeth and his blood stormed his reason. "The job mustbe done to-night. You have your instructions. Capture him if possible;but if necessary, kill him. You know your fate, if you fail." Marlanxactually grinned at the thought of the punishment he would mete out tothem. "Now be off!"
Rashly he made his way to the castle front. A bright moon cast itsmellow glow over the mass of stone outlined against the western sky. Foran hour he glowered in the shade of the trees, giving but slight heed tothe guards who passed from time to time. His eyes never left theenchanted balcony.
At last he saw the man. Baldos came from the floor at the end of thebalcony, paced the full length in the moonlight, paused for a momentnear Beverly Calhoun's window and then disappeared through the same doorthat had afforded him egress.
Inside the dark castle the clock at the end of the hall melodiouslyboomed the hour of two. Dead quiet followed the soft echoes of thegong. A tall figure stealthily opened the door to Yetive's chapel andstepped inside. There was a streak of moonlight through the clear windowat the far end of the room. Baldos, his heart beating rapidly, stoodstill for a moment, awaiting the next move in the game. The ghost-likefigure of a woman suddenly stood before him in the path of the moonbeam,a hooded figure in dark robes. He started as if confronted by thesupernatural.
"Come," came in an agitated whisper, and he stepped to the side of thephantom. She turned and the moonlight fell upon the face of BeverlyCalhoun, "Don't speak. Follow me as quickly as you can."
He grasped her arm, bringing her to a standstill.
"I have changed my mind," he whispered in her ear. "Do you think I willrun away and leave you to shoulder the blame for all this? On thebalcony near your window an hour ago I--"
"It doesn't make any difference," she argued. "You have to go. I wantyou to go. If you knew just how I feel toward you you would go without amurmur."
"You mean that you hate me," he groaned.
"I wouldn't be so unkind as to say that," she fluttered. "I don't knowwho you are. Come; we can't delay a minute. I have a key to the gate atthe other end of the passage and I know where the secret panel islocated. Hush! It doesn't matter where I got the key. See! See how easyit is?"
He felt her tense little fingers in the darkness searching forhis. Their hands were icy cold when the clasp came. Together they stoodin a niche of the wall near the chancel rail. It was dark and a colddraft of air blew across their faces. He could not see, but there wasproof enough that she had opened the secret panel in the wall, and thatthe damp, chill air came from the underground passage, which led to apoint outside the city walls.
"You go first," she whispered nervously. "I'm afraid. There is a lanternon the steps and I have some matches. We'll light it as soon as--Oh,what was that?"
"Don't be frightened," he said. "I think it was a rat."
"Good gracious!" she gasped. "I wouldn't go in there for the world."
"Do you mean to say that you intended to do so?" he asked eagerly.
"Certainly. Someone has to return the key to the outer gate. Oh, Isuppose I'll have to go in. You'll keep them off, won't you?"plaintively. He was smiling in the darkness, thinking what a dear,whimsical thing she was.
"With my life," he said softly.
"They're ten times worse than lions," she announced.
"You must not forget that you return alone," he said triumphantly.
"But I'll have the lantern going full blast," she said, and then allowedhim to lead her into the narrow passageway. She closed the panel andthen felt about with her foot until it located the lantern. In a minutethey had a light. "Now, don't be afraid," she said encouragingly. Helaughed in pure delight; she misunderstood his mirth and was consciousof a new and an almost unendurable pang. He was filled with exhilarationover the prospect of escape! Somehow she felt an impulse to throw herarms about him and drag him back into the chapel, in spite of the ghostof the game-warden's daughter.
"What is to prevent me from taking you with me?" he said intensely, amighty longing in his breast. She laughed but drew back uneasily.
"And live unhappily ever afterward?" said she. "Oh, dear me! Isn't thisa funny proceeding? Just think of me, Beverly Calhoun, being mixed upin schemes and plots and intrigues and all that. It seems like a greatbig dream. And that reminds me: you will find a raincoat at the foot ofthe steps. I couldn't get other clothes for you, so you'll have to wearthe uniform. There's a stiff hat of Mr. Lorry's also. You've no idea howdifficult it is for a girl to collect clothes for a man. There doesn'tseem to be any real excuse for it, you know. Goodness, it looks blackahead there, doesn't it? I hate underground things. They're so damp andall that. How far is it, do you suppose, to the door in the wall?" Shewas chattering on, simply to keep up her courage and to make her fairestshow of composure.
"It's a little more than three hundred yards," he replied. They wereadvancing through the low, narrow stone-lined passage. She steadfastlyignored the hand he held back for support. It was not a pleasant place,this underground way to the outside world. The walls were damp andmouldy; the odor of the rank earth assailed the nostrils; the air waschill and deathlike.
"How do you know?" she demanded quickly.
"I have traversed the passage before. Miss Calhoun," he replied. Shestopped like one paralyzed, her eyes wide and incredulous. "Franz was myguide from the outer gate into the chapel. It is easy enough to getoutside the walls, but extremely difficult to return," he went oneasily.<
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"You mean to say that you have been in and out by way of this passage?Then, what was your object, sir?" she demanded sternly.
"My desire to communicate with friends who could not enter thecity. Will it interest you if I say that the particular object of myconcern was a young woman?"
She gasped and was stubbornly silent for a long time. Bitter resentmentfilled her soul, bitter disappointment in this young man. "A youngwoman!" he had said, oh, so insolently. There could be but oneinference, one conclusion. The realization of it settled one point inher mind forever.
"It wouldn't interest me in the least. I don't even care who shewas. Permit me to wish you much joy with her. Why don't you go on?"irritably, forgetting that it was she who delayed progress. His smilewas invisible in the blackness above the lantern. There were no wordsspoken until after they had reached the little door in the wall.
Here the passage was wider. There were casks and chests on the floor,evidently containing articles that required instant removal fromEdelweiss in case of an emergency.
"Who was that woman?" she asked at last. The key to the door was in thenervous little hand.
"One very near and dear to me. Miss Calhoun. That's all I can say atthis time."
"Well, this is the only time you will have the chance," she criedloftily. "Here we part. Hush!" she whispered, involuntarily grasping hisarm. "I think I heard a step. Can anyone be following us?" They stoppedand listened. It was as still as a tomb.
"It must be the same old rat," he answered jokingly. She was too nervousfor any pleasantries, and releasing her hold on his arm, said timidly, a"Good-bye!"
"Am I to go in this manner? Have you no kind word for me? I love youbetter than my soul. It is of small consequence to you, I know, but Icrave one forgiving word. It may be the last." He clasped her hand andshe did not withdraw it. Her lips were trembling, but her eyes werebrave and obstinate. Suddenly she sat down upon one of the chests. If hehad not told her of the other woman!
"Forgive me instead, for all that I have brought you to," shemurmured. "It was all my fault. I shall never forget you or forgivemyself. I--I am going back to Washin'ton immediately. I can't bear tostay here now. Good-bye, and God bless you. Do--do you think we shallever see each other again?" Unconsciously she was clinging to hishand. There were tears in the gray eyes that looked pathetically up intohis. She was very dear and enchanting, down there in the grewsomepassageway with the fitful rays of the lantern lighting her face. Onlythe strictest self-control kept him from seizing her in his arms, forsomething told him that she would have surrendered.
"This is the end, I fear," he said, with grim persistence. She caughther breath in half a sob. Then she arose resolutely, although her kneestrembled shamelessly.
"Well, then, good-bye," she said very steadily. "You are free to gowhere and to whom you like. Think of me once in awhile, Baldos. Here'sthe key. Hurry! I--I can't stand it much longer!" She was ready to breakdown and he saw it, but he made no sign.
Turning the key in the rusty lock, he cautiously opened the door. Themoonlit world lay beyond. A warm, intoxicating breath of fresh air camein upon them. He suddenly stooped and kissed her hand.
"Forgive me for having annoyed you with my poor love," he said, as hestood in the door, looking into the night beyond.
"All--all right," she choked out as she started to close the door afterhim.
"Halt! You are our prisoner!"
The words rang out sharply in the silence of the night. Instinctively,Beverly made an attempt to close the door; but she was too late. Twoburly, villainous looking men, sword in hand, blocked the exit andadvanced upon them.
"Back! Back!" Baldos shouted to Beverly, drawing his sword.
Like a flash, she picked up the lantern and sprang out of hisway. Capture or worse seemed certain; but her heart did not fail her.
"Put up your sword! You are under arrest!" came from the foremost ofthe two. He had heard enough of Baldos's skill with the sword to hopethat the ruse might be successful and that he would surrender peaceablyto numbers. The men's instructions were to take their quarry alive ifpossible. The reward for the man, living, exceeded that for him dead.
Baldos instantly recognized them as spies employed by Marlanx. They hadbeen dogging his footsteps for days and even had tried to murder him,The desire for vengeance was working like madness in his blood. He wasoverjoyed at having them at the point of his sword. Beverly's presencevouchsafed that he would show little mercy.
"Arrest me, you cowardly curs!" he exclaimed. "Never!" With a spring toone side, he quickly overturned one of the casks and pushing it in frontof him, it served as a rolling bulwark, preventing a joint attack.
"You first!" he cried coolly, as his sword met that of the leader. Theunhappy wretch was no match for the finest swordsman in Graustark. Hemade a few desperate attempts to ward off his inevitable fate, callingloudly for his comrade to aid him. The latter was eager enough, butBaldos's strategic roll of the cask effectively prevented him fromtaking a hand. With a vicious thrust, the blade of the goat-hunter toreclean through the man's chest and touched the wall behind.
"One!" cried Baldos, gloating in the chance that had come to him. Theman gasped and fell. He was none too quick in withdrawing his drippingweapon, for the second man was over the obstacle and upon him.