truth, whensuddenly behind him sounded a peal of merry laughter, and turningquickly, he saw he had been joined upon the platform by Liane and twobright English girls who were living at the same pension with them.They had ascended the long flights of steps, and were entirely out ofbreath.
"Why, dear old dad!" cried Liane, in surprise, "whoever would havethought of finding you up here at this hour?"
The Captain laughed uneasily, and made some evasive reply regarding theclearness of the morning and the extent of the view.
"Oh, isn't it magnificent!" cried the other girls in chorus, as theygazed around. Liane, who had been there on many previous occasions, hadbrought them up, promising them a fine panorama, and they certainly werenot disappointed.
Together they wandered about the pretty gardens, watched the artilleryat drill working the guns, peered down the old castle well and clamberedabout the ancient walls which had been torn down nearly two hundredyears ago by the Duke of Brunswick; then, after one of the girls hadnarrowly escaped losing her hat in the high wind, they descended againto the Rue des Ponchettes, where the Captain, excusing himself that hewanted to make a purchase in the town, left them.
The three girls, chatting and laughing, walked round the base of thehill, by the road called the Rauba Capeu, to the port, where the Princed'Auzac's trim steam yacht was lying, afterwards retracing their stepsalong the Boulevard du Midi. They had passed the Jardin Public, wherethe band was playing Strauss's _Fesche Geister_, and had just enteredthe Promenade des Anglais, when Zertho on his fine bay rode past themraising his hat. The trio smiled and bowed, and while he gallopedalong, his smart groom at some little distance behind, one of Liane'scompanions remarked--
"Isn't the Prince a handsome fellow? I wonder he does not marry."
Liane felt her cheeks colouring.
"Oh! I suppose he will very soon," observed her sister. They were bothtall, dark, good-looking girls, daughters of a wealthy widow fromLondon. This was their first season on the Riviera, and all was freshto them.
"You know the Prince well, don't you?" inquired the first girl who hadspoken, turning to Liane.
"Yes," she answered. "We knew him long before he became rich."
"And his wealth has spoilt him, I expect? It does most men."
"No, I can scarcely say that," answered Liane. "At heart he is sothoroughly cosmopolitan and so merry that I don't think he will everbecome purse-proud."
"I've heard he's a millionaire," observed the other girl. "Is thattrue?"
"I believe so. His father was the wealthiest man in Luxembourg; richereven than the reigning Grand Duke Adolphe."
"And whoever marries him will be Princess d'Auzac," the girl remarked,contemplatively. "Rather jolly, I should imagine, to be a Princess withan ancient title like that One could then cut a decent figure insociety, I envy the fortunate girl who takes his fancy."
Liane winced. She feared that her cheeks told their own tale, and wasthankful when a moment later the girls met their mother amid the crowdof promenaders, and all four commenced to chat upon a different subject.
That evening they did not dine as usual at the Villa Chevrier, but tooktheir meal at the Pension, and afterwards, when Liane was reclininglazily on the couch in their private salon, her handsome head thrownback upon a great cushion of yellow silk, and the Captain was seated ina capacious easy chair, with a cigarette and an English paper, he atlast braced himself up for an effort that was to him exceedinglyrepugnant. He feared that his words must choke him, and forhalf-an-hour glanced surreptitiously at her, hesitating to approach thesubject. The recollection of all that he had to stake, however, goadedhim on, and presently, slowly putting down his paper, and striving toremain firm, he uttered her name.
She looked up from her French novel in surprise. The tone in which hespoke was entirely unusual. It was harsh and strained.
"Liane," he said, bending and looking straight into her large, cleareyes, "I have wanted to speak seriously to you during these past fewweeks, but have always hesitated."
"Why, father?"
"Because--well, I knew you were happy, and did not wish to cause youpain," he answered.
"Pain? What do you mean?" she inquired quickly.
"You have been very happy here in Nice, haven't you? I mean that Zerthohas made life very pleasant for us both," he stammered.
"Certainly. Thanks to him, we've been extremely gay the whole time. Sodifferent to our last experience of the Riviera," and she laughedlightly at the recollection of those well-remembered evil days.
"You appear to find Zertho a very congenial companion," he observed.
She started. Surely her father could not know what had taken placebetween them during that walk by the moonlit sea on the previous night?
"Of course," she answered hesitatingly. "He was always a good friend topoor Nelly and myself, and he is very amusing."
"But I have noticed of late that your face betrays your happiness whenyou walk with him. A woman always shows in her cheeks a distinctconsciousness of her success."
Her face flushed slightly as she answered,--
"I was not aware that I appeared any happier when in his society than onany other occasion."
"It is upon that very point that I desire to speak to you," he went onin a low serious tone. "You will remember that before we leftStratfield Mortimer, I gave you a few words of kindly advice regardingan impossible lover with whom you had foolishly become infatuated."
"Yes," she said, "I well remember."
"Then it is upon the subject of your marriage that I want again to say afew words to you."
"Marriage!" she laughed. "Why, I shall not marry for years yet, dearold dad. Besides, if I left you, whatever would you do?"
"Ah, yes, my girl," he answered hoarsely, as a shadow of pain flittedfor an instant across his darkened brow. "You must not lose the chanceof youth."
She closed her book, placed it aside slowly, and regarded him withsurprise.
"Haven't you always urged me to wait?" she asked half-reproachfully,toying with the two little gipsy rings upon her slim finger. "Iunderstood that you were entirely against my marriage."
"So I was when you did not possess the chance of making a wealthy andsatisfactory alliance," he replied.
His daughter looked at him inquiringly, but hazarded no remark. She sawby the expression of his face how terribly in earnest he was.
"You, of course, know to whom I refer," he added, speaking in a low,intense tone, as he bent towards her, gazing still seriously into thesweet, open countenance.
"To Zertho," she observed mechanically.
"Yes. If you reflect, as I have already reflected times without numberduring these past few weeks, Liane, you must recognise that yourposition as the daughter of an almost penniless adventurer, is by nomeans an enviable one. If anything happened to me you would be leftwithout a friend, and without a penny. Such thoughts are, I admit, notexactly pleasant ones, nevertheless the truth must be faced, at this,the most important crisis of your life. Again, I have nothing to giveyou, and can hope for nothing. In the days bygone I managed to pick upsufficient to provide us with the comforts and luxuries of life, butnow, alas! luck and friends have alike deserted me, and I am leftruined. I--"
"But you are not friendless, dear old dad," Liane cried suddenly, thelight of affection glowing in her beautiful eyes as, with a suddenmovement, she sprang across to him, and kneeling beside his chair as sheoften did, put both her soft, clinging arms about his neck. "I am yourfriend, as I have always been. I do not want to marry and leave you,"and she burst into tears.
His voice became choked by a sob he vainly strove to keep back. He felthis resolution giving way, and bit his lip.
"If--if you would remain my friend, Liane, you will marry," he managedto ejaculate at last, although the words seemed to stifle him, and hehated himself for having uttered them.
"No, dad--I will never allow you to live alone."
"But you must, dearest," he answe
red with emphasis, fondly pushing backher dark hair from her brow. "Think what a chance you now have ofsecuring position, wealth and everything which contributes to life'shappiness. Zertho loves you."
"I know," she answered, with a touch of ineffable sadness in her voiceand raising her tear-stained face to his. "But I am happy as I am, withyou."
"True. Yet in a few months the money we have will become exhausted, andwhence we shall obtain more I know not," he said with a look of despair."You have a chance to become a princess--the wife of a man evenwealthier than his sovereign--therefore you should seriously reflect,Liane, ere you