CHAPTER XXXII
NO TIME TO LOSE
Lechmere would have walked off with his fishing line, but Maxgregorcalled him back. There was no reason for mystery over this business sofar as the General could see. But Lechmere shook his head.
"I'll be back in a very few minutes," he said, "and then you can tell mewhat has happened. On the other hand I shall have a great deal to tellyou. Which way did Mazaroff go?"
So far as Maxwell could judge, Mazaroff had not left the building. Hewas pretty sure that the Russian had not come to Maxgregor with anysinister design. Beyond question, Mazaroff was looking for a certainsuite of rooms, though Maxgregor doubted it.
"The fellow would have shewn his teeth fast enough if it had not beenfor Maxwell," he said. "It is possible that he is looking for a certainsuite of rooms, I should not be at all surprised to find that he has notyet left the building."
Lechmere muttered something to the effect that he was absolutely certainof it. He was very anxious to know if there was a back staircase fromthe floor and whether it was much used so late at night.
"It isn't used at all after the servants have gone," Maxgregorexplained. "There are several very rapid young men living on this floorand they find the back staircase useful for the purpose of evadingcreditors. The stairs are at the far end of the corridor."
Lechmere murmured his thanks and hurried away. He had hardly disappearedbefore there was a tiny tap on the door and Jessie came in. She seemedanxious and uneasy, nor was her confusion lessened by the expression ofblank astonishment, not to say displeasure, on Maxwell's face.
"Vera," he cried reproachfully. "Oh, I forgot. Events are moving so fastthat it is difficult to keep pace with them. And you are so wonderfullylike Vera Galloway. I had to be told the facts, you see. Oh, of courseyou told me yourself by the hospital. But what are you doing here?"
"I came with the queen," Jessie explained. "I am going to her hotel withher. But the queen declared that she could not rest to-night unless shehad seen General Maxgregor. Is he better?"
"I am going on as well as possible," Maxgregor said from his bed. "It isdreadful to be laid up just now, at this time of all others. It was goodof the queen to think of me, but it occurs to me to be dreadfullyimprudent for her to come here now."
"But she had to," Jessie persisted. "There was no help for it. Andanother extraordinary thing happened. We left the king at MerehavenHouse being closely guarded by Captain Alexis. When we came away hismajesty was actually playing bridge. And yet, as the carriage pulled upoutside these mansions, we saw the king seated in one of the windows."
"Impossible," Maxgregor cried. "The king has not been here at all."
"So I should have said if I had been able to disbelieve my own eyes,"Jessie went on. "I tell you I have just seen the king. At first Ithought that he was actually here. Now I know that he must be on thenext suite to this. He was in evening dress just as we left him, but hehad his orders on. And the queen is in a position to confirm what Isay."
"I am certainly in a position to do what Miss----er----this lady says,"came a voice from the doorway as the queen came in. "We must get to thebottom of this."
Maxgregor groaned. He admired the pluck and spirit of the queen but hedeplored the audacity that brought her here. The thing was absolutelymadness. The queen smiled anxiously.
"Are you any worse, my dear old friend," she asked. "Are you sufferingat all?"
"My pain is more mental than physical," Maxgregor replied. "Oh, why didyou come here, why did you not leave matters to me? Heaven only knowshow many spies are dogging your footsteps. And it is impossible that theking can be where you say he is."
"The king's recuperative powers are marvellous," Maxwell remarked. "Atone hour he is apparently at the point of death, an hour later he is anhonoured guest of the Foreign Secretary. A little time later this younglady and I see him seated in the drawing-room of Countess Saens's houseand quite at his ease there. At this moment he seems to be in two placesat once. Can anybody explain. Can _you_?"
The last question was put to Lechmere, who had stepped into the roomagain. The diplomatist smiled.
"I hope to explain the whole thing and prove what has happened beforelong," he said. "It was to aid you in that purpose that I borrowed thesalmon line. Is your majesty safe here?"
"Is my majesty safe anywhere?" the queen asked in bitter contempt. "Ihave taken every precaution. There was nobody to be seen as I drove upand I have sent my horses to wait for me in the square. Then I could notstop any longer, I could not wait for my dear little friend here tobring me news. And I was most miserably anxious about General Maxgregor.Is there any news?"
"I was just coming to the news," Lechmere said. "Our enemies have triedon the most dangerous and daring thing that I have ever heard of. Whenthe _Mercury_ appears to-morrow it will contain a long and particularaccount of an interview between the King of Asturia and the Editor. Ihave seen the Editor of the _Mercury_, and by a stratagem I becamepossessed of an advanced copy of the paper. I should like your majestyto see what it is that the British public will find on their breakfasttables later on."
Lechmere produced his copy of the _Mercury_ and flattened it on thetable. Then he handed it to the queen. She waved the sheet asideimpatiently, she could not read to-night, her eyes were too heavy.
"Let us have the pith of it," she said. "I am curious to know what itall means."
Lechmere proceeded to read the article aloud. It was well done and theinsinuations it conveyed were worse than the actual truth. For instance,it was not boldly said that the King of Asturia had visited the officesof the _Mercury_ in a state of intoxication, but it was shrewdlyinferred. The brutal callous indifference of the whole thing was moststrongly marked. The king had abdicated his throne, he cared nothing forhis country or what his subjects thought of it. Here was an articlecalculated to arouse the greatest sensation in Europe. The queen was notslow to see the danger of it.
"But the thing is all a lie," she cried. "It is impossible. We know thatthe king has not left Merehaven House since dinner-time. And thisinterview is stated to have taken place later. Is this what yourjournalism is coming to in this country, Mr. Lechmere?"
"Not our journalism, madame," Lechmere said coolly. "No English dailypaper would have been so depraved and unpatriotic as to print thatinterview without consulting some Minister of State. As a matter of factthe _Mercury_ is American, it is published to sell, it is the pioneerpaper floated to capture the cream of our Press. Hunt has no scruples."
"But he has invented the whole thing," the queen said. "It is adastardly fraud."
"No," Lechmere said calmly. "No doubt somebody called on Hunt and toldhim that story. I believe Hunt to be genuinely under the impression thathe had the honour of the confidence of the King of Asturia. In a way hehas been hoaxed with the rest."
"If we could only prove it," the queen said under her breath. "If wecould only prove it."
"I hope to be able to do so within the next half hour," Lechmere went onin his cool way. "I have a pretty shrewd idea what has taken place. In ameasure we have to thank the little scheme planned out between thisyoung lady here and her double, Miss Vera Galloway. It suggested anidea to Countess Saens. And fortunately for her the material was athand. After all said and done the Editor of the _Mercury_ could onlyhave seen the king in the most casual way and he would be easily imposedon. In the circumstances, he would be quite ready and even eager to beimposed upon. The fact that the whole affair subsequently proved to be ahoax would not in the least disturb Hunt. He would get his sensation andhis extra copies sold, the mistake itself would be forgotten in a day ortwo."
"But not in Europe," the queen cried. "By to-morrow Europe will beringing with that vile lie. The telegraph will be put in motion, ourenemies will see that it is promptly reported from one end of Asturia toanother. Once the lie is floated on the stream of public opinion weshall never catch it up again. The whole thing has been engineered withthe deliberate intention of ruining us. What can
we do?"
"What man can do I have already done," Lechmere said. "The thing will becontradicted and proved to be a lie by the _Herald_ newspaper, to whoseEditor I have told everything. The two papers will start fairly, the onewith the lie and the other with the truth. And as you know the _Herald_is looked upon as a respectable journal. The telegraph that flashes thenews for the one will flash the refutation for the other. And I havetaken an extremely bold step. The _Herald_ to-morrow will be responsiblefor the announcement that so far from resigning his crown, King Erno ofAsturia has started already by a series of special trains to Asturia.Madame, you will see that this is done?"