By Wit of Woman Read online

  CHAPTER XII

  HIS EXCELLENCY AGAIN

  If the truth must be confessed I had surprised myself quite as much asCount Gustav in declaring my wish that Karl should marry Madamed'Artelle. I had spoken in response to the feeling of hot resentmenthe had roused by his bitter taunt that a marriage with me would provean effectual disgrace for Karl.

  And what stung me was the obvious truth of it all.

  My father was the proscribed murderer of the man who, had he lived,would have been the future occupant of the new throne; and for Karl tomarry such a man's daughter must mean absolute death to his chance ofsucceeding to that throne.

  The gall and wormwood of that thought were intolerable. Madamed'Artelle, ex-police spy as she was, bigamist as she would be, and witha past that would not bear investigation, was a suitable and eligiblematch compared with me! And the torture I suffered as this conclusionforced itself home, is not easy to describe.

  One thing was clearly borne in upon me. I would not marry either Karlor any other man until that slur was off my name. I would not restuntil that was done. The wish to clear up the mystery which I had atfirst felt mainly for my dead father's sake, now quickened into apassionate resolve on my own account. For my own sake I must and wouldget to the bottom of the mystery; and the risk of neither my fortunenor my safety should be allowed to come between me and it.

  I had called it a tangle; and what a tangle it was! Whichever way Imoved there were difficulties that seemed insuperable. In onedirection Gareth's pretty, smiling, trustful face blocked my path.Unless I broke my pledge to her, I could not open my lips to herfather. And if I did not tell him, I might get no farther forward tomy end. If he held the key to the mystery, it was only too probablethat, as Count Gustav had implied, he could not speak without accusinghimself. It was therefore useless to deal with him until I had foundthe means of compelling him to say what he knew.

  Count Gustav himself knew of my father's innocence, and had pledged hishonour to help me to clear it; but even if I trusted him, which I didnot, the price was connivance in his schemes--in Gareth's fate andKarl's undoing. That door was therefore shut in my face.

  There remained Duke Ladislas, General von Erlanger and Karl himself.The Duke was hopeless, so far as I was concerned. The General mostunlikely to help me. As for Karl, I doubted whether he knew anything,or even if he did know, whether he possessed a spark of the energynecessary to help.

  Could I infuse that energy into him?

  As the question leaped into my mind, I began to think earnestly of themeans to do this. If Count Gustav was right in what he had said in hisjeering, flaunting way about Karl's feelings for me, I might indeedhave much power over him. Up to this point I had been stumbling atrandom and in the dark in regard to Karl. I had had an indefinite planto secure his influence by saving him from the ruin which othersthreatened. But now a much clearer path opened.

  And then I saw how my impulse of anger could be used for mypurpose--the impulse which had led me to agree that the plan for themarriage with Madame d'Artelle should go forward.

  My original plan had been to let the elopement take place and then goto the house, "Unter den Linden," and by exposing Madame d'Artelle,frighten her away and at the same time establish my influence with Karl.

  I saw a better plan, however, into which all the preparations I hadmade would fit admirably. There was risk in it and danger to my ownreputation; but I could take care of that. I was too desperate to bescared by any fear of consequences. What I thought to do now was toplay Madame's part in the business, and to take her place in thecarriage with Karl. I guessed that Gustav would see to it that he wasstupefied with either drink or drugs, when the crisis came; and in adark carriage, closely veiled, I could trust myself to maintain thedeception successfully.

  I knew that Gustav was to bring his brother to the carriage; and inthis way I could delude him as to my own movements. That was asessential to my plans as it was that I should have free and fullopportunities of exerting my influence upon Karl.

  I had to think also of my personal safety. I did not under-rate therisk which I was now to run on that account. In pitting myself againstCount Gustav I was fighting the whole influence which his fatherwielded. The Duke had not scrupled to sacrifice my father; and was notlikely to be less drastic in dealing with me if I stood in his way.And one word from Count Gustav would be enough to bring the whole forceof his anger upon me.

  I was deliberating what steps to take when a note was brought to mefrom General von Erlanger, asking me in somewhat urgent terms to go andsee him.

  I was glad of the chance. I might find out from him how far the Dukewould have power to threaten my safety should Count Gustav obtain hishelp.

  But I found his Excellency very far removed from an inclination todiscuss serious matters seriously. I saw at once that he had dressedhimself with more than usual care; he was wearing a number of theorders he had received in the course of a successful diplomatic andpolitical career; and he welcomed me with genial smiles and quiteunnecessary warmth. He held my hand so long indeed, as he greeted me,that his two daughters noticed it. I saw them nudge each other andsnigger, and I had to give quite a tug to get it away.

  He insisted upon my staying to dinner, all unprepared though I was; andwhen I pleaded that I had no dinner costume, he declared that I wasnever anything but charming; and that he would take no excuse.

  The girls carried me away to put my hair tidy, and then gave me theirconfidences about their father and the new governess. She was a"beast," it seemed, according to Charlotte; and the General wished meto return.

  "Father misses his chess with you," she said, with the ingenuousdirectness of her age: "that is why he wants you back. We think he'sgoing to make you his secretary as well. He talks an awful lot aboutwanting help."

  "He took over an hour dressing himself when he knew you were coming,"chimed in the younger, Sophia; "and he made Charlotte go and tell himif his hair was parted straight."

  "He's always talking about how well you play chess, and how clever youare."

  "And he never puts those orders on unless somebody awfully particularis coming!" They rattled on in this way at considerable length; andduring dinner watched the General's conduct to me very closely, noddingand smiling significantly at me, and winking at each other.

  I had remained a week in the house after my coming to an understandingwith him, and before I went to Madame d'Artelle's and during that timewe had had more than one confidential talk.

  When an old man yields to the influence of a very young woman, it isoften a considerable surrender. It had been so in his Excellency'scase; and I was quite conscious that I could do a great deal with him.Vivien could with Merlin; and a Minister of ripe and long experiencecan make a very interesting Merlin.

  In those talks of ours he had sometimes forgotten the difference offorty years in our ages, and more than once had paid me complimentswhich might have been almost embarrassing had I been minded to takethem at all literally.

  The girls' chatter had therefore prepared me in a measure for whatmight be to follow when they had been sent away and we two were onceagain face to face over the chess board.

  "I have missed my chess very much, Miss Gilmore. I can't tell you howmuch."

  "You should teach Charlotte to play."

  "She would never learn. She is just a child, no more."

  "You are not playing well yourself, to-night."

  He laughed. "That's what I like about you. You blurt the truth outwith delightful frankness. I don't want to play to-night."

  "Is that why you say you've missed your chess so much?"

  "I've missed your white hands moving among the men, more than the gameitself." He spoke very quickly, and fumbling nervously among the menupset two of them.

  I made a move then that was not chess. I'm not sure that it was quitefair to him indeed. Pretending haste in picking the pieces up, Itouched his hand and glanced at him. Our eyes met; and
withdrawing myhand quickly, I upset some more men, with a suggestion of agitation.

  "I beg your pardon," I stammered. "I'm afraid I don't remember howthey stood. I--I think I'm a little confused."

  "Why should you be?" he asked, with a glance.

  "I don't know. It's very silly. I don't understand myself. I--Ibelieve I'm nervous."

  "I can't imagine you nervous--er--Christabel." It was very daring ofhim; but he tried to say it as if it was his rule to use my name.

  I cast my eyes down and sighed. "I think I'll go now," I said after apause; "if you don't mind."

  "But I _do_ mind, very much. Don't bother about the game. I don'tcare where the men were."

  I smiled. "Possibly; but I think I was going to win. I began to seemate ahead."

  "I wish _I_ could," he declared.

  "General!" I cried in protest; to let him see that I understood. I hadgiven him the opening intentionally, but had scarcely expected he wouldtake such immediate advantage of it.

  We both laughed; he with a suggestion of triumph.

  "If I am not to go, we had better set the men and start a new game," Isaid, and began to arrange the pieces for the game.

  "I don't wish to play. I wish to talk," he declared, and then veryabruptly he got up and began to walk about the room, until he stoppedsuddenly close to me. I knew what was coming then.

  "Do you know why I wished you to come here to-day?"

  "Yes, I think so--but don't ask it." I was very serious and met hiseyes frankly.

  "How quick you are, and how daring. Any other woman would have beenafraid to say that--afraid of being thought conceited. Why shouldn't Iask it?"

  "I don't want to lose one out of the only friends I have in Pesth,perhaps the only one, General. And--other reasons."

  He looked down at me and sighed. "Just now----" he began, when Iinterrupted him.

  "I did it intentionally, thinking this thing should be settled at once,better at once--and for always, General."

  "I have found out since you went what I never suspected before. I am avery lonely old man, for all my wealth and my position."

  "We can still play chess--if not to-night; still on other nights.To-night, I too want to talk to you."

  He made no answer, but moved away and walked about the room again insilence; throwing himself at length into a lounge chair and staring infront of him blankly and disconsolately.

  After a time he roused himself and gave a deep, long sigh.

  "Very well. We must leave it there, I suppose."

  "No, we can't leave it there, General. I told you I wanted to talk toyou." I left my chair and taking one close to his side, I laid my handon his. "I need a friend so sorely. Won't you be that friend?"

  His fingers closed on my hand, and he held it in a firm clasp.

  "With all my heart, yes," he answered. "What is the matter?"

  His ready assent moved me so that for the moment I could not reply.

  "If I tell you all my little story, you will hold it in confidence?"

  He looked up and smiled. "I would do much more than that for you,Christabel," he answered, simply, using my name now without anyhesitation, and in a quite different tone from that before. "You maytrust me implicitly, child, on my honour."

  "I am going to surprise you. The name I bear is not my father's. Itook it when my uncle, John P. Gilmore, died and left me his fortune.He made me a wealthy woman. My father was of Pesth, Colonel vonDreschler. I have come here to seek justice for his name and mine. Isee how this affects you. If you cannot help me, I will say no more."

  He released my hand to press his own to his eyes; and when he withdrewit he gazed at me very earnestly.

  "You are his child! _Gott in Himmel_, his child."

  "I did not hide my name because I was ashamed of it," I said.

  "You have no need, Christabel. It was a damnable thing that was done.He was my friend, and I will help you all I can."

  Then without reserve I told him everything I had learnt and all that Ihad done. He let me tell the story without interruption, and put hisquestions at the end.

  "I cannot tell you you are not in danger from Count Gustav and hisfather. Your very name is a source of danger; and were you anotherwoman I should counsel you with all insistence to give this up and goaway. But you will not do that. I know you too well. I must thinkhow to protect you. You have set me a very difficult task; but itshall not be impossible. Yet I dare not let my hand be seen in it. Iwill think it all over until I find a way. Meanwhile, trust me as yourfather would have done; and let me hear something of you every day. Ishall know no ease of mind if I do not hear, every day. A note ormessage, saying all is well with you, will be enough. And if you findyourself in any trouble, let me know of it--I shall guess it, indeed,if I do not hear any day from you. And I will pledge myself to get youout--even if I have to appeal to Vienna on your behalf."

  "I need no more than the knowledge that your help is behind me. Butyou think the danger is really serious?"

  "If you threaten Count Gustav, you threaten the whole Patriotic cause;and if I could tell you the things that have been done to build up thatgreat national movement even you might be daunted and turned from yourpurpose."

  "Not while I live," I cried, resolutely.

  "You are your father's child. He was as staunch and brave and fearlessas any man that ever drew breath, but he was broken, and was but one ofmany victims. A policy of this stern kind has no bowels of compassionfor man, woman, or child. Pray God you may never have to look in vainfor that compassion."

  "You almost frighten me," I said. His earnestness was so intense.

  "No, nothing can do that, I am sure. If I could indeed frighten youout of this purpose of yours, I would; but instead, I will help you. Ihave many means, of course; and will exhaust them all. Go now, and letme think for you."

  As we rose he stumbled against the table on which stood the chessboard. He turned to me with a smile.

  "I am afraid it will be some time before we play again. But the daywill come, Christabel. It shall, or I am no player at this other game."

  And with this note of confidence we parted.