CHAPTER XXXIX
IN THE CAMP OF THE FOE
As it so happened--though as yet the girls were ignorant of thefact--they had no need to be afraid of the Countess Saens for thepresent. She had been cleverly fooled by a trick, as Lechmere learntdirectly he was out of the house after hearing the countess read herwire to Hunt of the _Mercury_. Just for a moment Hunt had suspected theKing of Asturia of a further act of treachery. But no sooner was he outof the house than Prince Peretori pounced upon him. There was a keenglitter in his eyes.
"Well?" he asked. "I left you in that place yonder with a purpose. Didmy bait take?"
"Oh, it was you who sent that card, then?" Lechmere exclaimed. "How didyou manage to do that?"
"The idea came to me like an inspiration. We wanted the countess out ofthe way, and it seemed to me that I knew the exact plan for doing it. Irushed off to the queen's hotel and procured one of her incognito cardsto give the thing a real air. Then I forged a message from the kingasking the countess to meet him in Paris to-morrow night. All I had todo was to place the thing in the hands of a district messenger boy, andthere you are! The question is, Did my bait take?"
"As the countess is at present rushing through the pages of Bradshaw, Ishould say that the bait had taken," Lechmere said drily. "Ourfascinating friend will assuredly be off to Paris by the very firsttrain that is available. Isn't there an early morning boat? Of coursethere is, seeing that I have travelled by it many times. The countesswill be off in an hour. We'll just hang about here and make sure, andthen we can go to bed with easy minds."
Prince Peretori laughed grimly. He lighted a cigarette and smoked itwith the air of a patient man.
"We're not going to bed yet," he said. "Our task does not even begintill the countess has gone. I'll throw myself heart and soul into thisbusiness, and I don't let go now till I see it through. When thecountess has gone, you and I are going to do a little burglary of ourown."
"What for?" asked Lechmere. "What are we going to gain by a risk likethat? Besides, if you are after those Foreign Office papers mostassuredly they are not in the countess's possession."
"No, but they are in the possession of her maid Annette," was thestartling reply. "So I have at length succeeded in astonishing even thestolid Lechmere. My dear fellow, when I went into that house to-night, Ifound that Annette was entertaining a lover--one Robert, who isunmistakably a gentleman's servant. We must find out who Robert is, andwhere he comes from, because he may be very useful to us later on. ButAnnette has those papers, because I heard her say so. A stupid policemanpicked them up and handed them to Annette without having the least ideaof their value. But the girl has, and she proposes to dispose of themfor a good round sum."
"Then our course is quite easy," Lechmere said; he had quite recoveredfrom his surprise again. "The countess will be out of the way foreight and forty hours at least. That gives us ample time to open_pour-parlers_ with the girl for the recovery of the papers."
"And perhaps frighten her and arouse her suspicions. How can you and Iapproach the girl? My own good friend, it seems to me that my own way isthe best. Let us get into the house and search for the papers. If theyare of the slightest value, the girl has not hidden them in her box.That would be too dangerous a game, and she is clever. What do you say?"
Lechmere replied that generally he was ready for anything. It wasbeginning to get light as the countess, accompanied by Hunt, left thehouse. She was dressed in black with a dark veil, and she carried asmall travelling bag in her hand. It was quite evident that the countesshad given scant attention to her wardrobe on this occasion as Lechmerepointed out to his companion.
"Let's get into the house without delay," Peretori said. "It's any oddsthat her ladyship has not said anything to her servants and that she hasnot aroused the household. She is in the habit of disappearing from timeto time thus when urgent business calls."
It proved exactly as Peretori had prophesied. None of the servants wereabout, on the table in the hall was an open note for Annette saying thather mistress had gone to Paris and that she would wire what time she wascoming home again. Lechmere looked a little ironically at his companion.
"So far so good," he said. "The coast is quite clear. What do youpropose to do next? You can hardly expect me to creep into Annette'sbedroom like a vulgar burglar and examine the girl's possessions. Thatis, even if we knew where to look, which we don't."
Peretori shook his head. That was not precisely his way of doingbusiness, he explained. He had a much better scheme than that. Heproceeded to the hall door and rung the bell loudly. Lechmere looked athim in blank astonishment. He knew that Peretori was really a man ofinfinite resources, but his intense love of a practical joke at alltimes over-ruled all dictates of prudence.
"Are you mad?" Lechmere cried. "What insane folly possesses you? Why,you will have all the servants in the place down upon you at once."
"There is a kind of proverb of yours that says 'let 'em all come.'"Peretori smiled. "I beg to remark, my dear friend, that this is not oneof my escapades. I'll give the bell another ring to make sure. Ah, therats are beginning to stir in the hole at last!"
Unmistakable sounds of motion overhead came to the ears of the listenersbelow. A frightened butler in a long coat and carrying a poker in hishand looked over the banisters and demanded feebly what was wrong. Afootman or two hovered in sight, and there was a glimpse of petticoatshastily donned behind.
"Come down here at once, all of you," Peretori commanded. "This is apretty thing. I come here to bring back a little ornament that thecountess lost to-night, and I ring the bell and nobody even takes thetrouble to reply. Then I make the discovery that everybody is in bed, Ialso make the discovery that the front door has not been fastened up,leaving the place absolutely to the first burglar that comes along. Imay be wrong but it seemed to me that somebody crept into the house asI came up the steps. It is important that the house should be searched.Put the lights up everywhere. I will go to the top of the house andguard the fanlight leading to the roof. Now get about it at once."
Nobody demurred, nobody ventured to ask questions. There was an air ofcommand about the speaker that shewed him as one accustomed to beobeyed. His face was very stern, but he winked at Lechmere as heproceeded to make his way up the stairs. It was a fairly long search,for the suggestion of a possible burglar in the house had given theshock of alarm that such a suggestion always produces in the women kindand they were loud in the determination that the men should searcheverywhere.
"And we can lock up after the kind gentlemen have gone," Annetteproclaimed. "See, here is a letter from my mistress addressed to me. Shehas gone off to Paris suddenly by the early boat. It is one of theeccentric expeditions that the countess loves. Has anybody searched thebasement?"
Nobody had searched the basement for the simple reason that nobody caredto face the task.
"Begin at the bottom and work up," suggested Lechmere with cynicalamusement. "If there is a man here he can't possibly escape you if thatsystem is adopted, as my friend guards the exit in the roof."
"Which is immediately above my bedroom," Annette said with a shudder."_Par bleu_, we might have all been murdered as we lay asleep. Let themen look everywhere."
It was presently borne in upon the men servants that nobody was in thehouse, so that their courage rose. They no longer hunted in couples.They were near the top of the house now, they were quite certain thatnobody was about when Peretori descended.
"It was either a false alarm or the man got away by the skylight," hesaid. "Did I understand someone to say that the countess was notreturning to-night. In that case you had better see that the door isproperly fastened after this gentleman and myself have gone. Good-nightto you all. I will say nothing of this to the countess if you promise tobe more careful in the future."
The big door closed behind Peretori and Lechmere and was properlysecured this time. Lechmere turned to his companion and demanded to knowwhat it all meant.
"Well, I think that is
pretty plain," Peretori said. "Our way liestogether, does it not? And I confess that I am most terribly sleepy. Oh,yes, as to my scheme. Well, I wanted to get a good idea of the servants'quarters, and where Mademoiselle Annette slept. Mightily snug quartersthese maids get in these good houses. And Annette is no exception to thegeneral rule."
"Yes, but you did not find the papers, I suppose?" Lechmere asked withsome impatience.
Peretori paused to light a fresh cigarette. His face was quite gravethough his eyes danced.
"Not quite," he said. "The maid was a bit too quick for me. But thepapers are hidden behind a plaster cast of the Adoration of the Magihigh up on the left hand side of the bedroom. I have said it!"