CHAPTER XXX. INSPECTOR JACKS IMPORTUNATE
They were talking of the Prince during those few minutes before theyseparated to dress for dinner. The whole of the house-party, with theexception of the Prince himself, were gathered around the great openfireplace at the north end of the hall. The weather had changed duringthe afternoon, and a cold wind had blown in their faces on the homewarddrive. Every one had found comfortable seats here, watching the hugelogs burn, and there seemed to be a general indisposition to move. Acouple of young men from the neighborhood had joined the house-party,and the conversation, naturally enough, was chiefly concerned with theday's sport. The young men, Somerfield especially, were inclined toregard the Prince's achievement from a somewhat critical standpoint.
"He rode the race well enough," Somerfield admitted, "but the mare isa topper, and no mistake. He had nothing to do but to sit tight and lether do the work."
"Of course, he hadn't to finish either," one of the newcomers, a CaptainEverard Wilmot, remarked. "That's where you can tell if a fellow reallycan ride or not. Anyhow, his style was rotten. To me he seemed to sithis horse exactly like a groom."
"You will, perhaps, not deny him," the Duke remarked mildly, "a certainamount of courage in riding a strange horse of uncertain temper, over astrange country, in an enterprise which was entirely new to him."
"I call it one of the most sporting things I ever heard of in my life,"Lady Grace declared warmly.
Somerfield shrugged his shoulders.
"One must admit that he has pluck," he remarked critically. "At the sametime I cannot see that a single effort of this sort entitles a man to beconsidered a sportsman. He doesn't shoot, nor does he ever ride exceptwhen he is on military service. He neither plays games nor has he theinstinct for them. A man without the instinct for games is a fellowI cannot understand. He'd never get along in this country, would he,Wilmot?"
"No, I'm shot if he would!" that young man replied. "There must besomething wrong about a man who hasn't any taste whatever for sport."
Penelope suddenly intervened--intervened, too, in somewhat startlingfashion.
"Charlie," she said, "you are talking like a baby! I am ashamed of you!I am ashamed of you all! You are talking like narrow-minded, ignorantlittle squireens."
Somerfield went slowly white. He looked across at Penelope, but theangry flash in his eyes was met by an even brighter light in her own.
"I will tell you what I think!" she exclaimed. "I think that you are allguilty of the most ridiculous presumption in criticising such a man asthe Prince. You would dare--you, Captain Wilmot, and you, Charlie, andyou, Mr. Hannaway," she added, turning to the third young man, "to standthere and tell us all in a lordly way that the Prince is no sportsman,as though that mysterious phrase disposed of him altogether as acreature inferior to you and your kind! If only you could realize theabsolute absurdity of any of you attempting to depreciate a person soimmeasurably above you! Prince Maiyo is a man, not an overgrown boy togo through life shooting birds, playing games which belong properly toyour schooldays, and hanging round the stage doors of half the theatresin London. You are satisfied with your lives and the Prince is satisfiedwith his. He belongs to a race whom you do not understand. Let himalone. Don't presume to imagine yourselves his superior because he doesnot conform to your pygmy standard of life."
Penelope was standing now, her slim, elegant form throbbing with theearnestness of her words, a spot of angry color burning in her cheeks.During the moment's silence which followed, Lady Grace too rose to herfeet and came to her friend's side.
"I agree with every word Penelope has said," she declared.
The Duchess smiled.
"Come," she said soothingly, "we mustn't take this little affair tooseriously. You are all right, all of you. Every one must live accordingto his bringing up. The Prince, no doubt, is as faithful to histraining and instincts as the young men of our own country. It is moreinteresting to compare than to criticise."
Somerfield, who for a moment had been too angry to speak, had nowrecovered himself.
"I think," he said stiffly, "that we had better drop the subject. I hadno idea that Miss Morse felt so strongly about it or I should not havepresumed, even here and amongst ourselves, to criticise a person whoholds such a high place in her esteem. Everard, I'll play you a game ofbilliards before we go upstairs. There's just time."
Captain Wilmot hesitated. He was a peace-loving man, and, after all,Penelope and his friend were engaged.
"Perhaps Miss Morse--" he began.
Penelope turned upon him.
"I should like you all to understand," she declared, "that every word Isaid came from my heart, and that I would say it again, and more, withthe same provocation."
There was a finality about Penelope's words which left no room forfurther discussion. The little group was broken up. She and Lady Gracewent to their rooms together.
"Penelope, you're a dear!" the latter said, as they mounted the stairs."I am afraid you've made Charlie very angry, though."
"I hope I have," Penelope answered. "I meant to make him angry. I thinkthat such self-sufficiency is absolutely stifling. It makes me sometimesalmost loathe young Englishmen of his class."
"And you don't dislike the Prince so much nowadays?" Lady Grace remarkedwith transparent indifference.
"No!" Penelope answered. "That is finished. I misunderstood him atfirst. It was entirely my own fault. I was prejudiced, and I hated tofeel that I was in the wrong. I do not see how any one could dislike himunless they were enemies of his country. Then I fancy that they mighthave cause."
Lady Grace sighed.
"To tell you the truth, Penelope," she said, "I almost wish that he werenot quite so devotedly attached to his country."
Penelope was silent. They had reached Lady Grace's room now, and werestanding together on the hearthrug in front of the fire.
"I am afraid he is like that," Penelope said gently. "He seems to havenone of the ordinary weaknesses of men. I, too, wish sometimes that hewere a little different. One would like to think of him, for his ownsake, as being happy some day. He reminds me somehow of the men whobuild and build, toiling always through youth unto old age. There seemsno limit to their strength, nor any respite. They build a palace whichthose who come after them must inhabit."
Once more Lady Grace sighed. She was looking into the heart of the fire.Penelope took her hands.
"It is hard sometimes, dear," she said, "to realize that a thing isimpossible, that it is absolutely out of our reach. Yet it is better tobring one's mind to it than to suffer all the days."
Lady Grace looked up. At that moment she was more than pretty. Her eyeswere soft and bright, the color had flooded her cheeks.
"But I don't see _why_ it should be impossible, Penelope," sheprotested. "We are equals in every way. Alliances between our twocountries are greatly to be desired. I have heard my father say so, andMr. Haviland. The trouble is, Pen," she added with trembling lips, "thathe does not care for me."
"You cannot tell," Penelope answered. "He has never shown any signs ofcaring for any woman. Remember, though, that he would want you to livein Japan."
"I'd live in Thibet if he asked me to," Lady Grace declared, raisingher handkerchief to her eyes, "but he never will. He doesn't care. Hedoesn't understand. I am very foolish, Penelope."
Penelope kissed her gently.
"Dear," she said, "you are not the only foolish woman in the world."...
Conversation amongst the younger members of the house-party at DevenhamCastle was a little disjointed that evening. Perhaps Penelope, who camedown in a wonderful black velveteen gown, with a bunch of scarlet rosesin her corsage, was the only one who seemed successfully to ignore thepassage of arms which had taken place so short a while ago. She talkedpleasantly to Somerfield, who tried to be dignified and succeeded onlyin remaining sulky. Chance had placed her at some distance from thePrince, to whom Lady Grace was talking with a subdued softness in hermanner which puzzled Captain Wilm
ot, her neighbor on the other side.
"I saw you with all the evening papers as usual, Bransome," the PrimeMinister remarked during the service of dinner. "Was there any news?"
"Nothing much," the Foreign Secretary replied. "Consuls are down anotherpoint and the Daily Comet says that you are like a drowning man clingingto the raft of your majority. Excellent cartoon of you, by the bye. Youshall see it after dinner."
"Thank you," the Prime Minister said. "Was there anything about you inthe same paper by any chance?"
"Nothing particularly abusive," Sir Edward answered blandly. "By thebye, the police declare that they have a definite clue this time,and are going to arrest the murderer of Hamilton Fynes and poor dickyVanderpole tonight or tomorrow."
"Excellent!" the Duke declared. "It would have been a perfect disgraceto our police system to have left two such crimes undetected. Ourrespected friend at the Home Office will have a little peace now."
"How about me?" Bransome grumbled. "Haven't I been worried to death,too?"
The Prince, who had just finished describing to Lady Grace a typicallandscape of his country, turned toward Bransome.
"I think that I heard you say something about a discovery in connectionwith those wonderful murder cases," he said. "Has any one actually beenarrested?"
"My paper was an early edition," Bransome answered, "but it spoke of asensational denouement within the next few hours. I should imagine thatit is all over by now. At the same time it's absurd how the Press givethese things away. It seems that some fellow who was bicycling saw a manget in and out of poor Dicky's taxi and is quite prepared to swear tohim."
"Has he not been rather a long time in coming forward with hisevidence?" the Prince remarked. "I do not remember to have seen anymention of such a person in the papers before."
"He watched so well," Bransome answered, "and was so startled that hewas knocked down and run over. The detective in charge of the case foundhim in a hospital."
"These things always come out sooner or later," the Prime Ministerremarked. "As a matter of fact, I am inclined to think that our policewait too long before they make an arrest. They play with their victim sodeliberately that sometimes he slips through their fingers. Very often,too, they let a man go who would give himself away from sheer fright ifhe felt the touch of a policeman upon his shoulder."
"As a nation," Bransome remarked, helping himself to the entree, "wehandle life amongst ourselves with perpetual kid gloves. We are alwaysafraid of molesting the liberty of the subject. A trifle more brutalitysometimes would make for strength. We are like a dentist whose worksuffers because he is afraid of hurting his patient."
Somerfield was watching his fiancee curiously.
"Are you really very pale tonight, Penelope," he asked, "or is it thosered flowers which have drawn all the color from your cheeks?"
"I believe that I am pale," Penelope answered. "I am always pale when Iwear black and when people have disagreed with me. As a matter of fact,I am trying to make the Prince feel homesick. Tell me," she asked himacross the round table, "don't you think that I remind you a littletonight of the women of your country?"
The Prince returned her gaze as though, indeed, something were passingbetween them of greater significance than that half-bantering question.
"Indeed," he said, "I think that you do. You remind me of my countryitself--of the things that wait for me across the ocean."
The Prince's servant had entered the dining room and whispered in theear of the butler who was superintending the service of dinner. Thelatter came over at once to the Prince.
"Your Highness," he said, "some one is on the telephone, speaking fromLondon. They ask if you could spare half a minute."
The Prince rose with an interrogative glance at his hostess, and theDuchess smilingly motioned him to go. Even after he had left the room,when he was altogether unobserved, his composed demeanor showed no signsof any change. He took up the receiver almost blithely. It was Soto, hissecretary, who spoke to him.
"Highness," he said, "the man Jacks with a policeman is here in the hallat the present moment. He asks permission to search this house."
"For what purpose?" the Prince asked.
"To discover some person whom he believes to be in hiding here," thesecretary answered. "He explains that in any ordinary case he would haveapplied for what they call a search warrant. Owing to your Highness'position, however, he has attended here, hoping for your graciousconsent without having made any formal application."
"I must think!" the Prince answered. "Tell me, Soto. You are sure thatthe English doctor has had no opportunity of communicating with anyone?"
"He has had no opportunity," was the firm reply. "If your Highness saysthe word, he shall pass."
"Let him alone," the Prince answered. "Refuse this man Jacks permissionto search my house during my absence. Tell him that I shall be there atthree o'clock tomorrow afternoon and that at that hour he is welcome toreturn."
"It shall be done, Highness," was the answer.
The Prince set down the receiver upon the instrument and stood for amoment deep in thought. It was a strange country, this,--a strange endwhich it seemed that he must prepare to face. He felt like the man whohad gone out to shoot lions and returning with great spoil had died ofthe bite of a poisonous ant!