CHAPTER XXIX
THE CAPTURE OF GABRIEL
Ravone was handsome in his borrowed clothes. He was now the clean,immaculate gentleman instead of the wretched vagabond of the hills. EvenBeverly was surprised at the change in him. His erstwhile sad andmelancholy face was flushed and bright with happiness. The kiss hebestowed upon the delighted Candace was tender in the extreme. Then,putting her aside he strode over and gallantly kissed the hand ofGraustark's princess, beaming an ecstatic smile upon the merry Beverlyan instant later.
"Welcome, Prince Dantan," said Yetive, "A thousand times welcome."
"All Graustark is your throne, most glorious Yetive. That is why I haveasked to be presented here and not in the royal hall below," saidRavone.
"You will wait here with us, then, to hear the good news from ourwarden," said the princess. "Send the courier to me," shecommanded. "Such sweet news should be received in the place which isdearest to me in all Graustark."
The ministers and the lords and ladies of the castle were assembled inthe room when Baron Dangloss appeared with the courier from theprison. Count Marlanx was missing. He was on his way to the fortress, acrushed, furious, impotent old man. In his quarters he was to sit andwait for the blow that he knew could not be averted. In fear anddespair, hiding his pain and his shame, he was racking his brain formeans to lessen the force of that blow. He could withdraw the chargesagainst Baldos, but he could not soften the words he had said andwritten of Beverly Calhoun. He was not troubling himself with fearbecause of the adventures in the chapel and passage. He knew too wellhow Yetive could punish when her heart was bitter against an evil-doer.Graustark honored and protected its women.
The warden of the dungeons from which Gabriel had escaped months beforereported to the princess that the prisoner was again in custody. Brieflyhe related that a party of men led by Prince Dantan had appeared earlythat day bringing the fugitive prince, uninjured, but crazed by rage anddisappointment. They had tricked him into following them through thehills, intent upon slaying his brother Dantan. There could be no mistakeas to Gabriel's identity. In conclusion, the warden implored herhighness to send troops up to guard the prison in the mountain-side. Hefeared an attack in force by Gabriel's army.
"Your highness," said Lorry, "I have sent instructions to Colonel Braze,requiring him to take a large force of men into the pass to guard theprison. Gabriel shall not escape again, though all Dawsbergen comesafter him."
"You have but little to fear from Dawsbergen," said Ravone, who wasseated near the princess. Candace at his side. "Messages have beenbrought to me from the leading nobles of Dawsbergen, assuring me thatthe populace is secretly eager for the old reign to be resumed. Only thedesperate fear of Gabriel and a few of his bloody but loyal advisersholds them in check. Believe me, Dawsbergen's efforts to release Gabrielwill be perfunctory and halfhearted in the extreme. He ruled like amadman. It was his intense, implacable desire to kill his brother thatled to his undoing. Will it be strange, your highness, if Dawsbergenwelcomes the return of Dantan in his stead?"
"The story! The story of his capture! Tell us the story," came eagerlyfrom those assembled. Ravone leaned back languidly, his face tired anddrawn once more, as if the mere recalling of the hardships past was hardto bear.
"First, your highness, may I advise you and your cabinet to send anotherultimatum to the people of Dawsbergen?" he asked. "This time say to themthat you hold two Dawsbergen princes in your hand. One cannot and willnot be restored to them. The other will be released on demand. Let theembassy be directed to meet the Duke of Matz, the premier. He is nowwith the army, not far from your frontier. May it please your highness,I have myself taken the liberty of despatching three trusted followerswith the news of Gabriel's capture. The two Bappos and Carl Vandos arenow speeding to the frontier. Your embassy will find the Duke of Matz inpossession of all the facts."
"The Duke of Matz, I am reliably informed, some day is to befather-in-law to Dawsbergen," smilingly said Yetive. "I shall not wonderif he responds most favorably to an ultimatum."
Ravone and Candace exchanged glances of amusement, the latter breakinginto a deplorable little gurgle of laughter.
"I beg to inform you that the duke's daughter has disdained the offerfrom the crown," said Ravone. "She has married Lieutenant Alsanol, ofthe royal artillery, and is as happy as a butterfly. Captain Baldoscould have told you how the wayward young woman defied her father andlaughed at the beggar prince."
"Captain Baldos is an exceedingly discreet person," Beverlyvolunteered. "He has told no tales out of school."
"I am reminded of the fact that you gave your purse into my keeping onememorable day--the day when we parted from our best of friends atGanlook's gates. I thought you were a princess, and you did not knowthat I understood English. That was a sore hour for us. Baldos was ourlife, the heart of our enterprise. Gabriel hates him as he hates his ownbrother. Steadfastly has Baldos refused to join us in the plot to seizePrince Gabriel. He once took an oath to kill him on sight, and I was soopposed to this that he had to be left out of the final adventures."
"Please tell us how you succeeded in capturing that--your half-brother,"cried Beverly, forgetting that it was another's place to make therequest. The audience drew near, eagerly attentive.
"At another time I shall rejoice in telling the story in detail. For thepresent let me ask you to be satisfied with the statement that wetricked him by means of letters into the insane hope that he couldcapture and slay his half-brother. Captain Baldos suggested theplan. Had he been arrested yesterday, I feel that it would havefailed. Gabriel was and is insane. We led him a chase through theGraustark hills until the time was ripe for the final act. His smallband of followers fled at our sudden attack, and he was taken almostwithout a struggle, not ten miles from the city of Edelweiss. In his madravings we learned that his chief desire was to kill his brother andsister and after that to carry out the plan that has long been in hismind. He was coming to Edelweiss for the sole purpose of entering thecastle by the underground passage, with murder in his heart. Gabriel wascoming to kill the Princess Yetive and Mr. Lorry. He has never forgottenthe love he bore for the princess, nor the hatred he owes his rival. Itwas the duty of Captain Baldos to see that he did not enter the passagein the event that he eluded us in the hills."
Later in the day the Princess Yetive received from the gaunt, hawkishold man in the fortress a signed statement, withdrawing his chargesagainst Baldos the guard. Marlanx did not ask for leniency; it was notin him to plead. If the humble withdrawal of charges against Baldoscould mitigate the punishment he knew Yetive would impose, all well andgood. If it went for naught, he was prepared for the worst. Down therein his quarters, with wine before him, he sat and waited for the end. Heknew that there was but one fate for the man, great or small, whoattacked a woman in Graustark. His only hope was that the princess mightmake an exception in the case of one who had been the head of thearmy--but the hope was too small to cherish.
Baldos walked forth a free man, the plaudits of the people in hisears. Baron Dangloss and Colonel Quinnox were beside the tall guard ashe came forward to receive the commendations and apologies ofGraustark's ruler and the warm promises of reward from the man heserved.
He knelt before the two rulers who were holding court on theveranda. The cheers of nobles, the shouts of soldiery, the exclamationsof the ladies did not turn his confident head. He was the born knight.The look of triumph that he bestowed upon Beverly Calhoun, who loungedgracefully beside the stone balustrade, brought the red flying to hercheeks. He took something from his breast and held it gallantly to hislips, before all the assembled courtiers. Beverly knew that it was afaded rose!