CHAPTER XII
THE LIEUTENANT REPORTS
Five days later as the _Jupiter_ was discharging passengers atPlymouth, Count Quinnox and Lieutenant Dank stood well forward on thepromenade deck watching the operations. The younger man was moody anddistrait, an unusual condition for him but one that had been noticeablyrecurrent during the past two or three days. He pulled at his smartlittle moustache and looked out upon the world through singularlylack-lustre eyes. Something had gone wrong with him, and it wassomething that he felt in duty bound to lay before his superior, thegrim old Minister of War and hereditary chief of the Castle Guard.Occasionally his sombre gaze shifted to a spot farther down the deck,where a young man and woman leaned upon the rail and surveyed the sceneof activity below.
"What is on your mind, Dank?" asked the Count abruptly. "Out with it."
Dank started. "It's true, then? I _do_ look as much of a fool as Ifeel, eh?" There was bitterness in his usually cheery voice.
"Feel like a fool, eh?" growled the old soldier.
"Pretty mess I've made of the business," lamented Dank surlily."Putting myself up as a contender against a fellow like Robin, anddreaming that I could win out, even for a minute! Good Lord, what anass I am! Why we've only made it worse, Count. We've touched him withthe spur of rivalry, and what could be more calamitous than that? Frombeing a rather matter-of-fact, indifferent observer, he becomes abewildering cavalier bent on conquest at any cost. I am swept aside asif I were a parcel of rags. For two days I stood between him and theincomparable Miss Guile. Then he suddenly arouses himself. My cake isdough. I am nobody. My feet get cold, as they say in America,--althoughI don't know why they say it. What has the temperature of one's feet todo with it? See! There they are. They are constantly together, walking,sitting, standing, eating, drinking, reading--_Eh bien!_ You have seenwith your own eyes. The beautiful Miss Guile has bewitched our Prince,and my labour is not only lost but I myself am lost. _Mon dieu!_"
The Count stared at him in perplexity for a moment. Then a look ofsurprise came into his eyes,--surprise not unmingled with scorn.
"You don't mean to say, Dank, that you've fallen in love with her? Oh,you absurd fledgelings. Will you--"
"Forgive my insolence, Count, but it is forty years since you were afledgeling. You don't see things as you saw them forty years ago.Permit me to remind you that you are a grandfather."
"Your point is well taken, my lad," said the Count, with a twinkle inhis eye. "You can't help being young any more than I can help beingold. Youth is perennial, old age a winding-sheet. I am to take it,then, that you've lost your heart to the fair--"
"Why not?" broke in Dank fiercely. "Why should it appear incredible toyou? Is she not the most entrancing creature in all the world? Is shenot the most appealing, the most adorable, the most feminine of all hersex? Is it possible that one can be so old that it is impossible forhim to feel the charm, the loveliness, the--"
"For heaven's sake, Dank," said the old man in alarm, "don'tgesticulate so wildly. People will think we are quarrelling. Calmyourself, my boy."
"You set a task for me and I obey. You urge me to do my duty byGraustark. You tell me I am a handsome dog and irresistible. She willbe overwhelmed by my manly beauty, my valour, my soldierly bearing,--sosay you! And what is the outcome? I--I, the vain-glorious,--I amwrapped around her little finger so tightly that all the king's horsesand all the king's men--"
"Halt!" commanded his general softly. "You are turning tail like theveriest coward. Right about, face! Would you surrender to a slip of agirl whose only weapons are a pair of innocent blue eyes and a roguishsmile? Be a man! Stand by your guns. Outwardly you are the equal of R.Schmidt, whose sole--"
"That sounds very well, sir, but how can I take up arms against myPrince? He stands by _his_ guns--as you may see, sir,--and, dammit all,I'm no traitor. I've just got to stand by 'em with him. That rot aboutall being fair in love and war is the silliest--Oh, well, there's nouse whining about it. I'm mad about her, and so is he. You can't--"
The Count stopped him with a sharp gesture. A look of real concernappeared in his eyes.
"Do you believe that he is actually in love with this girl?"
"Heels over head," barked the unhappy lieutenant. "I've never seen aworse case."
"This is serious--more serious than I thought."
"It's horrible," declared Dank, but not thinking of the situation fromthe Count's point of view.
"We do not know who or what she is. She may be--"
"I beg your pardon, sir, but we do know what she is," said the otherfirmly. "You will not pretend to say that she is not a gentlewoman. Sheis cultured, refined--"
"I grant all of that," said the Count. "I am not blind, Dank, But itseems fairly certain that her name is not Guile. We--"
"Nor is his name Schmidt. That's no argument, sir."
"Still we cannot take the chance, my lad. We must put an end to thisfond adventure. Robin is our most precious possession. We must not--Whydo you shake your head?"
"We are powerless, sir. If he makes up his mind to marry Miss Guile,he'll do it in spite of anything we can do. That is, provided she is ofthe same mind."
"God defend us, I fear you are right," groaned the old Count. "He hasdeclared himself a hundred times, and he is a wilful lad. I recall theuselessness of the opposition that was set up against his lamentedmother when she decided to marry Grenfell Lorry. 'Gad, sir, it was likebutting into a stone wall. She said she _would_ and she did. I fear methat Robin has much of his mother in him."
"Behold in me the first sacrifice," declaimed Dank, lifting his eyesheavenward.
"Oh, you will recover," was the unsympathetic rejoinder. "It is for himthat I fear, not for you."
"Recover, sir?" in despair. "I fear you misjudge my humble heart--"
"Bosh! Your heart has been through a dozen accidents of this character,Dank, and it is good for a hundred more. I'll rejoice when this voyageis ended and we have him safe on his way to Edelweiss."
"That will not make the slightest difference, sir. If he sets his headto marry her he'll do it if we take him to the North Pole. AllGraustark can't stop him,--nor old man Blithers either. Besides, hesays he isn't going to Edelweiss immediately."
"That is news to me."
"I thought it would be. He came to the decision not more than two hoursago. He is determined to spend a couple of weeks at Interlaken."
"Interlaken?"
"Yes. Miss Guile expects to stop there for a fortnight after leavingParis."
"I must remonstrate with Robin--at once," declared the old man. "He isneeded in Graustark. He must be made to realise the importance of--"
"And what are you going to do if he declines to realise anything butthe importance of a fortnight in the shadow of the Jungfrau?"
"God help me, I don't know, Dank." The Count's brow was moist, and helooked anything but an unconquerable soldier.
"I told him we were expected to reach home by the end of next week, andhe said that a quiet fortnight in the Alps would make new men of all ofus."
"Do you mean to say he expects me to dawdle--"
"More than that, sir. He also expects me to dawdle too. I shallprobably shoot myself before the two weeks are over."
"I have it! I shall take Mrs. Gaston into my confidence. It is the onlyhope, I fear. I shall tell her that he is--"
"No hope there," said Dank mournfully.
"Haven't you noticed how keen she is to have them together all thetime? She's as wily as a fox. Never misses a chance. Hasn't it occurredto you to wonder why she drags you off on the slightest pretext whenyou happen to be in the way? She's done it a hundred times. Alwaysleaving them alone together. My God, how I despise that woman! Not oncebut twenty times a day she finds an excuse to interfere when I amtrying to get in a few words with Miss Guile. She's forever wanting meto show her the engine-room or the Captain's bridge or the wirelessoffice or--why, by Jove, sir, it was only yesterday that she asked meto come and look at the waves. Said sh
e'd found a splendid place to seethem from, just as if the whole damned Atlantic wasn't full of 'em. Andisn't she always looking for porpoises on the opposite side of theship? And how many whales and ice-bergs do you think she's been tryingto find in the last five days? No, sir! There's no hope there!"
"'Pon my soul!" was all that the poor Minister of War, an adept instrategy, was able to exclaim.
The _Jupiter_ disgorged most of her passengers at Cherbourg and thedescent upon Paris had scarcely begun when the good ship steamed awayfor Antwerp, Bremen and Hamburg. She was one of the older vessels inthe vast fleet of ships controlled by the American All-Seas andAll-Ports Company, and she called wherever there was a port open totrans-Atlantic navigation. She was a single factor in the greatmonopoly described as the "Billion Dollar Boast." The United States hadbeen slow to recognise the profits of seas that were free, but when shedid wake up she proceeded to act as if she owned them and all thattherein lay. Her people spoke of the Gulf Stream as "ours"; of theBanks of Newfoundland as "ours"--or in some instances as "ourn"; ofLiverpool, Hamburg, London, Bremen and other such places as "ourEuropean terminals"; and of the various oceans, seas and navigablewaters as "a part of the system." Where once the Stars and Stripes wereas rare as hummingbirds in Baffin's Bay, the flags were now so thickthat they resembled Fourth of July decorations on Fifth avenue, and itwas almost impossible to cross the Atlantic without dodging a hundredvessels on which Dixie was being played, coming and going. A man fromNew Hampshire declared, after one of his trips over and back, that hecheered the good old tune so incessantly that his voice failed on thethird day out, both ways, and he had to voice his patriotism with a tinhorn.
Ships of the All-Seas and All-Ports Company fairly stuffed the harboursof the world. America was awake at last--wide awake!--and the necessityfor prodding her was now limited to the task of putting her to sleeplong enough to allow other nations a chance to scrape together enoughable bodied seamen to man the ships.
William W. Blithers was one of the directors of the All-Seas andAll-Ports Company. He was the first American to awake.
For some unaccountable reason Miss Guile and her companion preferred totravel alone to Paris. They had a private compartment, over which arespectful but adamantine conductor exercised an authority thatirritated R. Schmidt beyond expression. The rest of the train wascrowded to its capacity, and here was desirable space going to waste inthe section occupied by the selfish Miss Guile. He couldn't understandit in her. Was it, after all, to be put down as a simple steamerencounter? Was she deliberately snubbing him, now that they were onland? Was he, a prince of the royal blood, to be tossed aside by thispurse-proud American as if he were the simplest of simpletons? And whatdid she mean by stationing an officious hireling before her door toorder him away when he undertook to pay her a friendly visit?--to offerhis own and Hobbs' services in case they were needed in Paris. Whyshould she lock her confounded door anyway,--and draw the curtains?There were other whys too numerous to mention, and there wasn't ananswer to a single one of them. The whole proceeding wasincomprehensible.
To begin with, she certainly made no effort to conceal the fact thatshe was trying to avoid him from the instant the tender drew alongsideto take off the passengers. As a matter of fact, she seemed to bemaking a point of it. And yet, the evening before, she had appearedrather enchanted with the prospect of seeing him at Interlaken.
It was not until the boat-train was nearing the environs of Paris thatHobbs threw some light over the situation, with the result that itinstantly became darker than ever before. It appears that Miss Guilewas met at the landing by a very good-looking young man who not onlyescorted her to the train but actually entered it with her, and waseven now enjoying the luxury of a private compartment as well as thecontents of a large luncheon hamper, to say nothing of an uninterruptedview of something far more inspiring than the scenery.
"Frenchman?" inquired Dank listlessly.
"American, I should say, sir," said Hobbs, balancing himself in thecorridor outside the door and sticking his head inside with moreconfidence than a traveller usually feels when travelling fromCherbourg to Paris. "But I wouldn't swear to it, sir. I didn't 'ear aword he said, being quite some distance away at the time. Happearancesare deceptive, as I've said a great many times. A man may look like anAmerican and still be almost anything else, see wot I mean? On theother hand, a man may look like almost nothing and still be American tohis toes. I remember once saying to--"
"That's all right, Hobbs," broke in R. Schmidt sternly. "We alsoremember what you said, so don't repeat it. How soon do we get in?"
Hobbs cheerfully looked at his watch. "I couldn't say positive, sir,but I should think in about fourteen and a 'alf minutes, or maybe ashade under--between fourteen and fourteen and a 'alf, sir. As I wassaying, he was a most intelligent looking chap, sir, and very 'andsomeof face and figger. Between twenty-four and twenty-five, I dare say.Light haired, smooth-faced, quite tall and dressed in dark blue with acravat, sir, that looked like cerise but may have been--"
"For heaven's sake, Hobbs, let up!" cried Robin, throwing up his hands.
"Yes, sir; certainly, sir. Did I mention that he wears a straw 'at witha crimson band on it? Well, if I didn't, he does. Hincidentally, theyseemed greatly pleased to see each other. He kissed her hand, andlooked as though he might have gone even farther than that if it 'adn'tbeen for the crowd--"
"That will do!" said Robin sharply, a sudden flush mounting to hischeek.
"Very good, sir. Shall I get the bags down for the porters, sir? I begpardon, sir,--" to one of the three surly gentlemen who sat facing thetravellers from Graustark,--"my fault entirely. I don't believe it isdamaged, sir. Allow me to--"
"Thank you," growled the stranger. "I can put it on myself," and hejerked his hat out of Hobbs' hand and set it at a rather forbiddingangle above a lowering brow. "Look what you're doing after this, willyou?"
"Certainly, sir," said Hobbs agreeably. "It's almost impossible to seewithout eyes in the back of one's head, don't you know. I 'ope--"
"All right, _all_ right!" snapped the man, glaring balefully. "And letme tell you something else, my man. Don't go about knocking Americanswithout first taking a look. Just bear that in mind, will you?"
"The surest way is to listen," began Hobbs loftily, but, catching alook from his royal master, desisted. He proceeded to get down the handluggage.
At the Gare St. Lazare, Robin had a brief glimpse of Miss Guile as shehurried with the crowd down to the cab enclosure, where her escort, thealert young stranger, put her into a waiting limousine, bundled Mrs.Gaston and Marie in after her, and then dashed away, obviously to seetheir luggage through the _douane_.
She espied the tall figure of her fellow voyager near the steps andleaned forward to wave a perfunctory farewell to him. The car wascreeping out toward the packed thoroughfare. It is possible that sheexpected him to dash among the chortling machines, at risk of life orlimb, for a word or two at parting. If so, she was disappointed. Heremained perfectly still, with uplifted hat, a faint smile on his lipsand not the slightest sign of annoyance in his face. She smiledsecurely to herself as she leaned back in the seat, and was satisfied!Curiosity set its demand upon her an instant later, however, and shepeered slyly through the little window in the back. He lifted his hatonce more and she flushed to her throat as she quickly drew back intothe corner. How in the world could he have seen her through thatabominable slit in the limousine? And why was he now grinning sobroadly?
Count Quinnox found him standing there a few minutes later, twirlinghis stick and smiling with his eyes. Accompanying the old soldier was aslight, sharp-featured man with keen black eyes and a thin, pointedmoustache of grey.
This man was Gourou, Chief of Police and Commander of the Tower inEdelweiss, successor to the celebrated Baron Dangloss. After he hadgreeted his prince, the quiet little man announced that he had reservedfor him an apartment at the Bristol.
"I am instructed by the Prime Minister, your highness, to urge you
rimmediate return to Edelweiss," he went on, lowering his voice. "Thepeople are disturbed by the reports that have reached us during thepast week or two, and Baron Romano is convinced that nothing will serveto subdue the feeling of uneasiness that prevails except your owndeclaration--in person--that these reports arc untrue."
"I shall telegraph at once to Baron Romano that it is all poppy-cock,"said Robin easily. "I refer, of course, to the reported engagement. Iam not going to marry Miss Blithers and that's all there is to be said.You may see to it, baron, that a statement is issued to all of theParis newspapers to-day, and to the correspondents for all the greatpapers in Europe and America. I have prepared this statement, under myown signature, and it is to be the last word in the matter. It is in mypocket at this instant. You shall have it when we reach the hotel--Andthat reminds me of another thing. I'm sorry that I shall have to askyou to countermand the reservation for rooms at the hotel you mention.I have already reserved rooms at the Ritz,--by wireless. We shall stopthere. Where is Dank?"
"The Ritz is hardly the place for--"
But Robin clapped him on the back and favoured him with thegood-natured, boyish smile that mastered even the fiercest of hiscounsellors, and the Minister of Police, being an astute man, heaved adeep sigh of resignation.
"Dank is looking after the trunks, highness, and Hobbs is coming alongwith the hand luggage," he said. "The Ritz, you say? Then I shall haveto instruct Lieutenant Dank to send the luggage there instead of to theBristol. Pardon, your highness." He was off like a flash.
Count Quinnox was gnawing his moustache. "See here, Robin," he said,laying his hand on the young man's shoulder, "you are in Paris now andnot on board a ship at sea. Miss Guile is a beautiful, charming, highlyestimable young woman, and, I might as well say it straight out to yourface, you ought not to subject her to the notoriety that is bound tofollow if the newspapers learn that she is playing around Paris, nomatter how innocently, with a prince whom--"
"Just a moment, Count," interrupted Robin, a cold light in his nowunsmiling eyes. "You are getting a little ahead of the game. Miss Guileis not going to the Ritz, nor do I expect her to play around Paris withme. As a matter of fact, she refused to tell me where she is to stopwhile here, and I am uncomfortably certain that I shall not see herunless by chance. On the other hand, I may as well be perfectly frankwith you and say it straight out to _your_ face that I am going to tryto find her if possible, but I am not mean enough to employ the methodscommon to such enterprises. I could have followed her car in anotherwhen she left here a few minutes ago; I could manage in a dozen ways torun her to earth, as the detectives do in the books, but I'd be ashamedto look her in the face if I did any of these things. I shall take agentleman's chance, my dear Count, and trust to luck and the generosityof fate. You may be sure that I shall not annoy Miss Guile, and you maybe equally sure that she--"
"I beg your pardon, Robin, but I did not employ the word annoy,"protested the Count.
"--that she takes me for a gentleman if not for a prince," went onRobin, deliberately completing the sentence before he smiled hisforgiveness upon the old man. "I selected the Ritz because all richAmericans go there, I'm told. I'm taking a chance."
Quinnox had an obstinate strain in his make-up. He continued: "There isanother side to the case, my boy. As a gentleman, you cannot allow thislovely girl to--er--well, to fall in love with you. That would becruel, wantonly cruel. And it is just the thing that is bound to happenif you go on with--"
"My dear Count, you forget that I am only R. Schmidt to her and but oneof perhaps a hundred young men who have placed her in the same perilousposition. Moreover, it's the other way 'round, sir. It is I who takethe risk, not Miss Guile. I regret to say, sir, that if there is to beany falling in love, I am the one who is most likely to fall, and tofall hard. You assume that Miss Guile is heart-whole and fancy free.'Gad, I wish that I could be sure of it!" He spoke with such fervourthat the Count was indeed dismayed.
"Robin, my lad, I beg of you to consider the consequences that--"
"There's no use discussing it, old friend. Trust to luck. There is abully good chance that she will send me about my business when the timecomes and then the salvation of Graustark will be assured." He said itlightly but there was a dark look in his eyes that belied the jauntywords.
"Am I to understand that you intend to--to ask her to marry you?"demanded the Count, profoundly troubled. "Remember, boy, that you arethe Prince of Graustark, that you--"
"But I'm not going to ask her to marry the Prince of Graustark. I'mgoing to ask her to marry R. Schmidt," said Robin composedly.
"God defend us, Robin, I--I--"
"God has all he can do to defend us from William W. Blithers, Count.Don't ask too much of him. What kind of a nation are we if we can't getalong without asking God to defend us every time we see trouble ahead?And do you suppose he is going to defend us against a slip of a girl--"
"Enough! Enough!" cried the Count, compressing his lips and glaringstraight ahead.
"That's the way to talk," cried Robin enthusiastically. "By the way, Ihope Dank is clever enough to find out who that young fellow is whilethey are clearing the luggage in there. I had a good look at him justnow. He is all that Hobbs describes and a little more. He is a hustler."