CHAPTER XVII. THE FORTRESS
The anniversary of the death of Prince Hubert dawned bright and sunny.The Place showed a thin covering of snow, which clung, wet and sticky,to the trees; but by nine o'clock most of it had disappeared, and PrinceFerdinand William Otto was informed that the excursion would take place.
Two motors took the party, by back streets, to the landing-stage. In thefirst were Annunciata, Hedwig, and the Countess, and at the last momentOtto had salvaged Miss Braithwaite from the second car, and begged aplace for her with him. A police agent sat beside the chauffeur. Alsoanother car, just ahead, contained other agents, by Mettlich's orderbefore his departure--a plain black motor, without the royal arms.
In the second machine followed a part of the suite, Hedwig's ladyin waiting, two gentlemen of the Court, in parade dress, and FatherGregory, come from his monastery at Etzel to visit his old friend, theKing.
At the landing-stage a small crowd had gathered on seeing the red carpetlaid and the gilt ropes put up, which indicated a royal visit. A smallgirl, with a hastily secured bouquet in her hot hands, stood nervouslywaiting. In deference to the anniversary, the flowers were tied with ablack ribbon!
Annunciata grumbled when she saw the crowd, and the occupants of thefirst car looked them over carefully. It remained for Hedwig to spy theblack ribbon. In the confusion, she slipped over to the little girl, whowent quite white with excitement. "They are lovely," Hedwig whispered,"but please take off the black ribbon." The child eyed her anxiously."It will come to pieces, Highness."
"Take the ribbon from your hair. It will be beautiful."
Which was done! But, as was not unnatural, the child forgot her speech,and merely thrust the bouquet, tied with a large pink bow, into thehands of Prince Ferdinand William Otto.
"Here," she said. It was, perhaps, the briefest, and therefore the mostagreeable presentation speech the Crown Prince had ever heard.
Red carpet and gold ropes and white gloves these last on the waitingofficers--made the scene rather gay. The spring sun shone on thegleaming river, on the white launch with its red velvet cushions, onthe deck chairs, its striped awnings and glittering brass, on the CrownPrince, in uniform, on the bouquet and the ribbon. But somewhere, backof the quay, a band struck up a funeral march, and a beggar, sitting inthe sun, put his hand to his ear.
"Of course," he said, to no one in particular. "It is the day. I hadforgotten."
The quay receded, red carpet and all. Only the blare of the bandfollowed them, and with the persistence of sound over water, followedthem for some time. The Crown Prince put down the bouquet, and proceededto stand near the steersman.
"When I am grown up," he observed to that embarrassed sailor, "I hope Ishall be able to steer a boat."
The steersman looked about cautiously. The royal guests were settlingthemselves in chairs; with rugs over their knees. "It is very easy, YourRoyal Highness," he said. "See, a turn like this, and what happens? Andthe other way the same."
Followed a five minutes during which the white launch went on a strangeand devious course, and the Crown Prince grew quite hot and at least twoinches taller. It was, of course, the Archduchess who discovered whatwas happening. She was very disagreeable about it.
The Archduchess was very disagreeable about everything that day. She wasafraid to stay in the Palace, and afraid to leave it. And just when shehad begun to feel calm, and the sun and fresh air were getting in theirwork, that wretched funeral band had brought back everything she wastrying to forget.
The Countess was very gay. She said brilliant, rather heartless thingsthat set the group to laughing, and in the intervals she eyed Hedwigwith narrowed eyes and hate in her heart. Hedwig herself was very quiet.The bouquet had contained lilies-of-the-valley, for one thing.
Miss Braithwaite knitted, and watched that the Crown Prince kept hiswhite gloves clean.
Just before they left the Palace the Archduchesss had had a moment ofweakening, but the Countess had laughed away her fears.
"I really think I shall not go, after all," Annunciata had saidnervously. "There are reasons."
The Countess had smiled mockingly. "Reasons!" she said. "I know thatmany things are being said. But I also know that General Mettlich is analarmist;" purred the Countess. "And that the King is old and ill, andsees through gray glasses."
So the Archduchess had submitted to having a plumed and inappropriatehat set high on her head, regardless of the fashion, and had pinned ontwo watches and gone.
It was Hedwig who showed the most depression on the trip, after all.Early that morning she had attended mass in the royal chapel. All thehousehold had been there, and the King had been wheeled in, and had satin his box, high in the wall, the door of which opened from his privatesuite.
Looking up, Hedwig had seen his gray old face set and rigid. The Courthad worn black, and the chapel was draped in crepe. She had fallen onher knees and had tried dutifully to pray for the dead Hubert. But herwhole soul was crying out for help for herself.
So now she sat very quiet, and wondered about things.
Prince Ferdinand William Otto sat by the rail and watched the greenbanks flying by. In one place a group of children were sailing a tinyboat from the bank. It was only a plank, with a crazy cotton sail. Theyshoved it off and watched while the current seized it and carried italong. Then they cheered, and called good-bye to it.
The Crown Prince leaned over the rail, and when the current caught it,he cheered too, and waved his cap. He was reproved, of course, and someofficious person insisted on tucking the rug around his royal legs. Butwhen no one was looking, he broke a flower from the bouquet and flungit overboard. He pretended that it was a boat, and was going down toKarnia, filled with soldiers ready to fight.
But the thought of soldiers brought Nikky to his mind. His face clouded."It's very strange about Nikky," he said. "He is away somewhere. I wishhe had sent word he was going."
Hedwig looked out over the river.
The Archduchess glanced at Miss Braithwaite. "There is no news?" sheasked, in an undertone.
"None," said Miss Braithwaite.
A sudden suspicion rose in Hedwig's mind, and made her turn pale. Whatif they had sent him away? Perhaps they feared him enough for that! Ifthat were true, she would never know. She knew the ways of the Palacewell enough for that. In a sort of terror she glanced around the group,so comfortably disposed. Her mother was looking out, with her cool,impassive gaze. Miss Braithwaite knitted. The Countess, however, mether eyes, and there was something strange in them: triumph and a bit ofterror, too, had she but read them. For the Countess had put in her pleafor a holiday and had been refused.
The launch drew up near the fort, and the Crown Prince's salute of acertain number of guns was fired. The garrison was drawn up in line, andlooked newly shaved and very, very neat. And the officers came outand stood on the usual red carpet, and bowed deeply, after which theysaluted the Crown Prince and he saluted them. Then the Colonel in chargeshook hands all round, and the band played. It was all very ceremoniousand took a lot of tine.
The new fortress faced the highroad some five miles from the Karnianborder. It stood on a bluff over the river, and was, as the Crown Princedecided, not so unlike the desk, after all, except that it had a moataround it.
Hedwig and the Countess went with the party around the fortifications.The Archduchess and Miss Braithwaite had sought a fire. Only theCountess, however, seemed really interested. Hedwig seemed more intenton the distant line of the border than on anything else. She stood on arampart and stared out at it, looking very sad. Even the drill--when ata word all the great guns rose and peeped over the edge at the valleybelow, and then dropped back again as if they had seen enough--even thisfailed to rouse her.
"I wish you would listen, Hedwig," said the Crown Prince, almostfretfully. "It's so interesting. The enemy's soldiers would come up theriver in boats, and along that road on foot. And then we would raise theguns and shoot at them. And the guns would drop back again, before
theenemy had time to aim at them."
But Hedwig's interest was so evidently assumed that he turned to theCountess. The Countess professed smiling terror, and stood a little wayback from the guns, looking on. But Prince Ferdinand William Otto atlast coaxed her to the top of the emplacement.
"There's a fine view up there," he urged. "And the guns won't hurt you.There's nothing in them."
To get up it was necessary to climb an iron ladder. Hedwig was alreadythere. About a dozen young officers had helped her up, and ruined asmany pairs of white gloves, although Hedwig could climb like a cat, andreally needed no help at all.
"You go up," said the Crown Prince eagerly. "I'll hold your bag, so youcan climb."
He caught her handbag from her, and instantly something snapped init. The Countess was climbing up the ladder. Rather dismayed, PrinceFerdinand William Otto surveyed the bag. Something had broken, hefeared. And in another moment he saw what it was. The little watch whichwas set in one side of it had slipped away, leaving a round black hole.His heart beat a trifle faster.
"I'm awfully worried," he called up to her, as he climbed. "I'm afraidI've broken your bag. Something clicked, and the watch is gone. It isnot on the ground."
It was well for the Countess that the Colonel was talking to Hedwig.Well for her, too, that the other officers were standing behind withtheir eyes worshipfully on the Princess. The Countess turned gray-white.
"Don't worry, Highness," she said, with stiff lips, "The watch fallsback sometimes. I must have it repaired."
But long after the tour of the ramparts was over, after ammunition-roomshad been visited, with their long lines of waiting shells, after theswitchboard which controlled the river mines had been inspected andexplained, she was still trembling.
Prince Ferdinand William Otto, looking at the bag later on, saw thewatch in place and drew a long breath of relief.