CHAPTER XXVIII
A BOY DISAPPEARS
This startling announcement threw the company into the greatestexcitement. Baldos ran down the steps and to the side of the astonishedprincess.
"Prince Dantan!" she cried, unbelieving.
He pushed the boyish figure aside and whispered earnestly into Yetive'sear. She smiled warmly in response, and her eyes sparkled.
"And this, your highness, is his sister, the Princess Candace," heannounced aloud, bowing low before the girl. At that instant she ceasedto be the timid, cringing boy. Her chin went up in truly regal state asshe calmly, even haughtily, responded to the dazed, half-earnest salutesof the men. With a rare smile--a knowing one in which mischief wasparamount--she spoke to Baldos, giving him her hand to kiss.
"Ah, dear Baldos, you have achieved your sweetest triumph--thetheatrical climax to all this time of plotting. My brother's sisterloves you for all this. Your highness," and she turned to Yetive with acaptivating smile, "is the luckless sister of Dantan welcome in yourcastle? May I rest here in peace? It has been a bitterly long year, thispast week," she sighed. Fatigue shot back into her sweet face, andYetive's love went out to her unreservedly. As she drew the slightfigure up the steps she turned and said to her ministers:
"I shall be glad to receive Prince Dantan in the throne-room, withoutdelay. I am going to put the princess to bed."
"Your highness," said Baldos from below, "may I be the first to announceto you that there will be no war with Dawsbergen?"
This was too much. Even Marlanx looked at his enemy with something likecollapse in his eyes.
"What do you mean?" cried Lorry, seizing him by the arm.
"I mean that Prince Dantan is here to announce the recapture of Gabriel,his half-brother. Before the hour is past your own men from the dungeonin the mountains will come to report the return of the fugitive. Thisannouncement may explain in a measure the conduct that has earned for methe accusation which confronts me. The men who have retaken Gabriel arethe members of that little band you have heard so much about. Once I wasits captain, Prince Dantan's chief of staff--the commander of his raggedarmy of twelve. Miss Calhoun and fate brought me into Edelweiss, but myloyalty to the object espoused by our glorious little army has neverwavered. Without me they have succeeded in tricking and trappingGabriel. It is more than the great army of Graustark could do. Yourhighness will pardon the boast under the circumstances?"
"If this Is true, you have accomplished a miracle," exclaimed Lorry,profoundly agitated. "But can it be true? I can't believe it. It is toogood. It is too utterly improbable. Is that really Prince Dantan?"
"Assuming that it is Dantan, Grenfall," said Yetive, "I fancy it is notcourteous in us to let him stand over there all alone and ignored. Go tohim, please." With that she passed through the doors, accompanied byBeverly and the young princess. Lorry and others went to greet theemaciated visitor in rags and tags. Colonel Quinnox and Baron Danglosslooked at one another in doubt and uncertainty. What were they to dowith Baldos, the prisoner?
"You are asking yourself what is to be done with me," said Baldoseasily. "The order is for my arrest. Only the princess can annul it. Shehas retired on a mission of love and tenderness. I would not have herdisturbed. There is nothing left for you to do but to place me in acell. I am quite ready, Colonel Quinnox. You will be wise to put me in aplace where I cannot hoodwink you further. You do not bear me a grudge?"He laughed so buoyantly, so fearlessly that Quinnox forgave himeverything. Dangloss chuckled, an unheard-of condescension on hispart. "We shall meet again, Count Marlanx. You were not far wrong inyour accusations against me, but you have much to account for in anotherdirection."
"This is all a clever trick," cried the Iron Count. "But you shall findme ready to accommodate you when the time comes."
At this juncture Lorry and Count Halfont came up with Ravone. Baldoswould have knelt before his ruler had not the worn, sickly young manrestrained him.
"Your hand, Captain Baldos," he said. "Most loyal of friends. You havewon far more than the honor and love I can bestow upon you. They tell meyou are a prisoner, a suspected traitor. It shall be my duty and joy toexplain your motives and your actions. Have no fear. The hour will beshort and the fruit much the sweeter for the bitterness."
"Thunder!" muttered Harry Anguish. "You don't intend to slap him into acell, do you, Gren?" Baldos overheard the remark.
"I prefer that course, sir, until it has been clearly established thatall I have said to you is the truth. Count Marlanx must be satisfied,"said he.
"And, Baldos, is all well with her?" asked the one we have known asRavone.
"She is being put to bed," said Baldos, with a laugh so jolly thatRavone's lean face was wreathed in a sympathetic smile. "I am ready,gentlemen." He marched gallantly away between the guards, followed byDangloss and Colonel Quinnox.
Naturally the Graustark leaders were cautious, even skeptical. Theyawaited confirmation of the glorious news with varying emotions. Theshock produced by the appearance of Prince Dantan in the person of theascetic Ravone was almost stupefying. Even Beverly, who knew thevagabond better than all the others, had not dreamed of Ravone as thefugitive prince. Secretly she had hoped as long as she could that Baldoswould prove, after all, to be no other than Dantan. This hope haddwindled to nothing, however, and she was quite prepared for therevelation. She now saw that he was just what he professed to be--abrave but humble friend of the young sovereign; and she was happy in theknowledge that she loved him for what he was and not for what he mighthave been.
"He is my truest friend," said Ravone, as they led Baldos away. "I amcalled Ravone, gentlemen, and I am content to be known by that nameuntil better fortune gives me the right to use another. You can hardlyexpect a thing in rags to be called a prince. There is much to beaccomplished, much to be forgiven, before there is a Prince Dantan ofDawsbergen again."
"You are faint and week," said Lorry, suddenly perceiving hisplight. "The hospitality of the castle is yours. The promise we made afew days ago holds good. Her highness will be proud to receive you whenyou are ready to come to the throne-room. I am Grenfall Lorry. Come,sir; rest and refresh yourself in our gladdened home. An hour ago wewere making ready to rush into battle; but your astonishing but welcomenews is calculated to change every plan we have made."
"Undoubtedly, sir, it will. Dawsbergen hardly will make a fight torelease Gabriel. He is safe in your dungeons. If they want him now, theymust come to your strongholds. They will not do it, believe me," saidRavone simply. "Alas, I am faint and sore, as you suspect. May I liedown for an hour or two? In that time you will have heard from yourwardens and my story will be substantiated. Then I shall be ready toaccept your hospitality as it is proffered. Outside your city gates myhumble followers lie starving. My only prayer is that you will send themcheer and succor."
No time was lost in sending to the gates for the strollers who hadaccomplished the marvel of the day. The news of Gabriel's capture waskept from the city's inhabitants until verification came from the propersources, but those in control of the affairs of state were certain thatRavone's story was true. All operations came to a standstill. Themovements of the army were checked. Everything lay quiescent under theshock of this startling climax.
"Hang it," growled Anguish, with a quizzical grin, as Ravone departedunder the guidance of Count Halfont himself, "this knocks megalley-west. I'd like to have had a hand in it. It must have beengreat. How the devil do you think that miserable little gang of trampspulled it off?"
"Harry," said Lorry disgustedly, "they taught us a trick or two."
While the young princess was being cared for by Yetive's own maids inone of the daintiest bedchambers of the castle, Beverly was engaged inwriting a brief but pointed letter to her Aunt Josephine, who was stillin St. Petersburg. She had persistently refused to visit Edelweiss, buthad written many imperative letters commanding her niece to return tothe Russian capital. Beverly now was recalling her scattered wits in theeffort to appease her aunt a
nd her father at the same time. MajorCalhoun emphatically had ordered her to rejoin her aunt and start forAmerica at once. Yesterday Beverly would have begun packing for the triphome. Now she was eager to remain in Graustark indefinitely. She was sothrilled by joy and excitement that she scarcely could hold the pen.
"Father says the United States papers are full of awful war scares fromthe Balkans. Are we a part of the Balkans, Yetive?" she asked of Yetive,with a puzzled frown, emphasizing the pronoun unconsciously. "He saysI'm to come right off home. Says he'll not pay a nickel of ransom if thebrigands catch me, as they did Miss Stone and that woman who had thebaby. He says mother is worried half to death. I'm just going to cablehim that it's all off. Because he says if war breaks out he's going tosend my brother Dan over here to get me. I'm having Aunt Josephine sendhim this cablegram from St. Petersburg: 'They never fight inBalkans. Just scare each other. Skip headlines, father dear. Will behome soon. Beverly.' How does that sound? It will cost a lot, but hebrought it upon his own head. And we're not in the Balkans, anyway. AuntJoe will have a fit. Please call an A. D. T. boy, princess. I want tosend this message to St. Petersburg."
When Candace entered the princess's boudoir half an hour later, she wasfar from being the timid youth who first came to the notice of theGraustark cabinet. She was now attired in one of Beverly's gowns, and itwas most becoming to her. Her short curly brown hair was done upproperly; her pink and white complexion was as clear as cream, now thatthe dust of the road was gone; her dark eyes were glowing with thewonder and interest of nineteen years, and she was, all in all, a mostenticing bit of femininity.
"You are much more of a princess now than when I first saw you," smiledYetive, drawing her down upon the cushions of the window-seat besideher. Candace was shy and diffident, despite her proper habiliments.
"But she was such a pretty boy," protested Dagmar. "You don't know howattractive you were in those--"
Candace blushed. "Oh, they were awful, but they were comfortable. Onehas to wear trousers if one intends to be a vagabond. I wore them formore than a week."
"You shall tell us all about it," said Yetive, holding the girl's handin hers. "It must have been a most interesting week for you."
"Oh, there is not much to tell, your highness," said Candace, suddenlyreticent and shy. "My step-brother--oh, how I hate him--had condemnedme to die because he thought I was helping Dantan. And I _was_helping him, too,--all that I could. Old Bappo, master of the stables,who has loved me for a hundred years, he says, helped me to escape fromthe palace at night. They were to have seized me the next morning. Bappohas been master of the stables for more than forty years. Dear oldBappo! He procured the boy's clothing for me and his two sonsaccompanied me to the hills, where I soon found my brother and hismen. We saw your scouts and talked to them a day or two after I became amember of the band. Bappo's boys are with the band now. But my brotherDantan shall tell you of that. I was so frightened I could not tell whatwas going am. I have lived in the open air for a week, but I love it.Dantan's friends are all heroes. You will love them. Yesterday old Franzbrought a message into the castle grounds. It told Captain Baldos of theplan to seize Gabriel, who was in the hills near your city. Didn't youknow of that? Oh, we knew it two days ago. Baldos knew it yesterday. Hemet us at four o'clock this morning;--that is part of us. I was sent onwith Franz so that I should not see bloodshed if it came to theworst. We were near the city gates Baldos came straight to us. Isn't itfunny that you never knew all these things? Then at daybreak Baldosinsisted on bringing me here to await the news from the pass. It wassafer, and besides, he said he had another object in coming back atonce."
Beverly flushed warmly. The three women were crowding about thenarrator, eagerly drinking in her naive story.
"We came in through one of the big gates and not through the undergroundpassage. That was a fib," said Candace, looking from one to the otherwith a perfectly delicious twinkle in her eye. The conspirators gulpedand smiled guiltily. "Baldos says there is a very mean old man here whois tormenting the fairy princess--not the real princess, you know. Hecame back to protect her, which was very brave of him, I am sure. Whereis my brother?" she asked, suddenly anxious.
"He is with friends. Don't be alarmed, dear," said Yetive.
"He is changing clothes, too? He needs clothes worse than I neededthese. Does he say positively that Gabriel has been captured?"
"Yes. Did you not know of it?"
"I was sure it would happen. You know I was not with them in the pass."
Yetive was reflecting, a soft smile in her eyes.
"I was thinking of the time when I wore men's clothes," shesaid. "Unlike yours, mine were most uncomfortable. It was when I aidedMr. Lorry in escaping from the tower. I wore a guard's uniform and rodemiles with him in a dark carriage before he discovered the truth." Sheblushed at the remembrance of that trying hour.
"And I wore boy's clothes at a girl's party once--my brother Dan's,"said Beverly. "The hostess's brothers came home unexpectedly and I hadto sit behind a bookcase for an hour. I didn't see much fun in boy'sclothes."
"You ought to wear them for a week," said Candace, wise inexperience. "They are not so bad when you become accustomed tothem--that is, if they're strong and not so tight that they--"
"You all love Baldos, don't you?" interrupted Yetive. It was withdifficulty that the listeners suppressed their smiles.
"Better than anyone else. He is our idol. Oh, your highness, if what hesays is true that old man must be a fiend. Baldos a spy! Why, he has notslept day or night for fear that we would not capture Gabriel so that hemight be cleared of the charge without appealing to--to my brother. Hehas always been loyal to you," the girl said with eager eloquence.
"I know, dear, and I have known all along. He will be honorablyacquitted. Count Marlanx was overzealous. He has not been wholly wrong,I must say in justice to him--"
"How can you uphold him, Yetive, after what he has said about me?" criedBeverly, with blazing eyes.
"Beverly, Beverly, you know I don't mean that. He has been a cowardlyvillain so far as you are concerned and he shall be punished, neverfear. I cannot condone that one amazing piece of wickedness on hispart."
"You, then, are the girl Baldos talks so much about?" cried Candaceeagerly. "You are Miss Calhoun, the fairy princess? I am so glad to knowyou." The young princess clasped Beverly's hand and looked into her eyeswith admiration and approval. Beverly could have crushed her in herarms.
The sounds of shouting came up to the windows from below. Outside, menwere rushing to and fro and there were signs of mighty demonstrations atthe gates.
"The people have heard of the capture," said Candace, as calmly asthough she were asking one to have a cup of tea.
There was a pounding at the boudoir door. It flew open unceremoniouslyand in rushed Lorry, followed by Anguish. In the hallway beyond a groupof noblemen conversed excitedly with the women of the castle.
"The report from the dungeons, Yetive," cried Lorry joyously. "Thewarden says that Gabriel is in his cell again! Here's to Prince Dantan!"
Ravone was standing in the door. Candace ran over and leaped into hisarms.