CHAPTER IX
"PONGO"
The Queen of Asturia was back again surely enough, smiling as if she hadnot a trouble in the world. Lady Merehaven was listening to what she hadto say.
"I found that I had to return," she was murmuring. "I am searching for awill-o'-the-wisp. I was told that I should find him at the Duchess ofNorton's, but he had been called away from there. There was a caseneeding his urgent attention at Charing Cross Hospital. I was told thatsubsequent to that matter my will-o'-the-wisp was coming on herepositively. Have you seen Dr. Varney?"
Lady Merehaven had not seen the distinguished physician, but he hadcertainly promised to look in at Merehaven House in the course of theevening. Despite his position and his many affairs, Dr. Varney was a manwho prided himself upon keeping his social engagements, and he wascertain to appear. It seemed to Jessie that the queen seemed to berelieved about something. She had never ceased to smile, but there wasan expression of sudden fierce gladness in her eyes. As she looked upher glance took in Jessie. There was a quick signal, the uplifting of abouquet, and that was all.
But Jessie understood that the queen wanted to speak to her withoutdelay. The opportunity came presently, for Lady Merehaven was calledaway, leaving a pompous old diplomat to wait on the queen. It was aneasy matter to send him in quest of lemonade, and then as the bouquetwas lifted again, Jessie crossed over rapidly to the side of the queen.
"Tell me all that has happened," she commanded swiftly, fiercely almost,though the smile never left her face. She might have been discussing themost trivial of topics. "I was called away; I had to go. I am at thebeck and call of people like a footman."
"You have not seen or heard anything, madame?" Jessie asked.
"Did I not tell you so? Forgive my temper, but I am harassed and worriedto death. Is everything going all right?"
"Up to the present, madame," Jessie proceeded to explain. "It wasunfortunate that the blind in the room upstairs was not pulled down. Ihad a warning about that, so I proceeded to the bedroom. GeneralMaxgregor was giving those drops to the king, out of the littlebottle----"
"Yes, yes. And were they all administered? Heaven forgive me for askingthe question, but I think that had I been in General Maxgregor's place,I----but I talk nonsense. Were they all----?"
"Every one of them. I administered the last few drops myself. I had to,for the simple reason that General Maxgregor was wounded. The blind wasup, and somebody shot at the general from the garden, from the highterrace at the end of the garden."
"Ah! Well, it is only what I expected, after all. The general--was hebadly hit?"
"In the shoulder. He said it was only a flesh wound, but evidently hewas in great pain. You see, after that the general had to go away atonce. At my suggestion he changed clothes with the king, and I managedto get him away, all staggering and ill as he was, by way of thegarden."
"You are a brave and true friend--God bless you! But there was thedanger of being followed, Vera."
"I thought of that. There were two hansoms in the lane, and I put thesupposed king into one of them and gave the cabman the address of thegeneral's lodgings. As I expected, somebody appeared and attempted toobtain the use of the other cab, but I was too quick for the foe. I gavethe cabman money and told him to drive on as if he carried a fare, andthe spy was baffled."
"Wonderful! I shall never forget your service to me and to Asturia. Whatwas the man like who----"
"It was not a man at all, madame," Jessie proceeded to explain. "It wasa woman. She was tall and fair, and exceedingly beautiful. I should nothave any difficulty in recognizing her again."
The queen expressed her satisfaction, nor did she seem in the leastsurprised to find that the spy was a woman.
"I am very sorry about the accident to the general," she saidthoughtfully. "But it only tends to show you what we have to guardagainst. I must go to the general as soon as possible. He may be veryill."
"I have already sent," Jessie said. "To a great extent I had to confidein somebody. I told my friend Captain Ronald Hope all that wasnecessary, and he is on his way to the general's now. Captain Hope isalso a great friend of General Maxgregor, and is, I know, very anxiousto find a post in the Asturian army. Perhaps your majesty may knowhim?"
The queen smiled and nodded. Evidently the name of Ronald was quitefamiliar to her. Then she went on to ask after the health of the king.Her face changed to a bitter smile as Jessie proceeded to say what shehad done in that direction.
"I shall know how to act in the future," the queen said, "once thecrisis is over. But there are people waiting to talk to me, and who arewondering why I am wasting my time on a mere girl like you when I havethe privilege of their society. If they only knew!"
Jessie passed on, feeling that she was dismissed for the present. Shewandered aimlessly into the garden; there was a good deal of noise andlaughter going on behind the terrace. The little door leading to thelane was open, and from the far side came the hiss of a motor.
"Have you come to join the fun, Vera?" a girl who was a total strangerto Jessie asked. "We are having larks on Pongo's motor-car. But now thatyou have come Pongo will have eyes for nobody else."
Jessie wondered who Pongo was, and whether any tender passages hadpassed between him and Miss Galloway. Possibly not, for Vera was not theclass of girl who made herself a familiar footing with the type of youngman who allows himself to be christened by so characteristic a name.
"Doin' it for a charity," a typical Johnny drawled as the car pulled up.Jessie recognized the Bond Street type of rich fool who is flattered forhis money. "Get in, Miss Vera. Take you as far as Piccadilly and backfor a shilling. Society for Lost Dogs, you know."
Jessie promptly accepted the offer, for a wild, brilliant scheme hadcome into her head. The motor flashed along before there was time foranybody else to get in.
"Not as far as Piccadilly," Jessie said. "Only to the end of the laneand back. I can't stay at present, Pongo. But if I come back presently,do you think you could get rid of the others and take me as far asCharing Cross Hospital? It's for the sake of a bet, you know."
Pongo, whose other name Jessie had not the slightest idea of, grinnedwith pleasure. The more ridiculous the thing, the more it appealed tohis peculiar nature. He would keep his car at the end of the lane andwait for Miss Galloway an hour if necessary. The mention of his pet nameand the flash from Jessie's eyes had utterly overcome him.
"Anything you like," he said. "Streets quiet, and all that; take you toCharing Cross and back before you could say Jack Robinson, don't youknow. Only I'd like to make the journey slow, don't you know."
Jessie laughed a response to the meaningless chatter of her companion.She was going to do a foolish and most certainly a desperate thing, butthere was no help for it. Back in the house again she could see a littleman with a fine head and a grey beard talking to the queen. There was noneed to tell Jessie that this was Doctor Varney, for she knew the greatphysician well by sight. She was going to speak to him presently and getan order, late as it was, for her to see a patient in the hospital. Sheknew quite well that it was no use her trying to get into the bigestablishment at that hour without a special permit, and it would be nofault of hers if that permit did not emanate from Dr. Varney.
The little man's powerful voice boomed out, but ever and again it wasdropped at some quiet question from the queen. Presently the doctormoved on in the direction of Jessie. She assumed that he would probablyknow Miss Vera Galloway quite well, and she made up her mind to addresshim as a friend of the family. But there were other people first whoclaimed the doctor's attention--a Cabinet Minister, who had a questionor two to put on the score of his personal health, so that it was somelittle time before Jessie obtained her chance. Even then the appearanceof Lady Merehaven delayed the operation.
"Positively, my dear lady, I must apologize for being so late," thedoctor said. "But there was a little matter claiming my attention atCharing Cross Hospital, an operation that one does not get every day,a
nd one that would brook no delay. But I got here as soon as possible.Sad thing about your niece."
"Why, what is the matter with my niece?" Lady Merehaven demanded. "Myniece!"
The doctor looked as surprised as his hostess. There was a graveexpression on his fine face.
"Miss Vera Galloway," he said. "Managed to get run over by a cab. Butyou must know all about that. Nothing serious, really; but the loss ofher pleasant face here, and the knowledge that she takes no part in thefestivities of the evening, is rather distressing. But she seems quitecheerful."
"Dr. Varney," Lady Merehaven cried, "positively, I know nothing of whatyou are talking about."
Jessie crept away and hid herself discreetly behind one of the big palmsin the hall. What was coming now?