THE MASQUERADER
Lawrence waited until the room was dark and then slipped out unnoticed.
He would have liked to remain and see the rest of Edestone’s most
interesting pictures which had started off with those taken in
Newfoundland and included a series not shown at Buckingham Palace. But
he had an exciting task before him. The idea of posing as a Royal
Prince in the magnificent uniform of the Imperial Hussars with nodding
plumes and flowing military cape, his coat-of-arms emblazoned on his
left shoulder, appealed to his dramatic instincts, as did the danger to
his passion for adventure.
He was brave, but unlike Edestone his was the bravery of an unthinking
recklessness rather than that of a perfectly balanced mind which,
contemptuous of the body that carries it, forces that body to do its
bidding.
The fact that Edestone had offered him an unheard of reward had made
little impression, going in one ear and out of the other. He would
accept it as lightly as it had been offered because he himself would
have made exactly the same offer under the same circumstances. Whenever
he wanted anything he paid the price, even if it took his last cent. It
was no incentive to action now, as he would have gladly paid for the
privilege of playing this big part in this wonderful melodrama--a
melodrama which he was prepared at any time to see change into a
tragedy, with him the dead hero.
He found that his Bowery boy Fred, under the pretext that it was
customary in the best New York “high society,” had bullied the German
flunkeys into bringing all of the officers’ helmets and cloaks upstairs
and laying them out on a bed in one of the chambers on the second
floor, from which place it was easy for him to smuggle all he wanted
into Lawrence’s room. Lawrence found him there waiting to help him
“make up.”
Turning up the collar of his dress coat so as to hide his white shirt
front, the masquerader buckled on the sabre that Fred handed to him.
Without changing his trousers he put on his riding boots and spurs,
which with the busby and cloak, a pair of white kid gloves, and a small
blond moustache completed his disguise. Standing thus in the middle of
the room with the door open, he waited until Fred signalled that the
coast was clear. He then stepped quickly across the hall and into the
elevator, closely followed by Fred, who closed the door. When they were
perfectly safe from interruption, he adjusted his costume and his false
moustache to his entire satisfaction, pinning the cloak securely
together with large safety pins to prevent it from flying open. Then as
the elevator passed the main floor on its way to the basement, he made
a gesture of derision.
Fred got out of the car and again carefully reconnoitred. Finding that
the passage leading to the garden was clear and that there was no one
in the billiard room, which was between the elevator and the outside
door, he signalled and Lawrence walked out into the garden at the side
of the Embassy.
It was quite dark there, but not dark enough to prevent the soldiers,
who were stationed about to watch this door, from seeing him as he
stood perfectly still as if hesitating which way to turn.
Observing that he was an officer, they saluted and stood at attention.
Then as he moved forward and they saw the insignia on his cloak they
signalled in some mysterious manner to the next post, who in turn
passed it down the line that Royalty was at large and that they must be
careful not to be caught napping.
Accordingly, as Lawrence emerged from the semi-darkness and came around
to the front of the Embassy, every soldier was standing at attention
and the different officers, after looking searchingly but most
respectfully at him to satisfy themselves who he was, stepped back and
allowed him to pass, while they stood like pieces of stone.
Lawrence did not deign even to notice them, but, reeling unsteadily in
his gait, passed them without even acknowledging their salute.
His presence having been reported to the Captain who had charge of the
company that was stationed in the street immediately in front of the
Embassy, this officer hastened up to him.
“Is there anything that you require, Your Royal Highness?” he saluted.
Lawrence, carrying out his pretence of intoxication, gave a perfect
imitation of the Prince when in that condition.
“I am making a tour of inspection to see that everything is all right,”
he said thickly.
The Captain saw his condition and showed an inclination to follow him,
but Lawrence waved his hand with what was intended to be a regal
gesture, although in fact it seemed to throw him almost off his
balance.
The Captain stepped back most respectfully and saluted, but smiled as
he followed with his eyes the young Prince.
Lawrence strutted quickly but unsteadily until he came to within about
a hundred yards of the mortars, where a sentry challenged him.
“Pardon me, Your Royal Highness, but my orders are to permit no one to
pass. If you will allow me, I will call the Corporal of the Guard, who
will send for the Captain.”
Lawrence interrupted him by bellowing:
“Get out of my way, you stupid blockhead, or I’ll kick you out of my
way! I have not time to wait for the lot of fools that you all are.”
Then as the man did not move he gave him a tremendous upper-cut,
catching his chin with the base of his open hand and sending his head
back and lifting him off his feet. He fell sprawling about ten feet
away against an iron railing, where he lay perfectly still with a nasty
cut in the back of his head.
The Captain, who had been slowly following to see that nothing happened
to his Royal charge, ran up quickly and, ordering another soldier to
take the place of the fallen sentry, had the wounded man hurried
quickly out of sight.
In the meantime Lawrence was strolling along, without even looking back
at the poor fellow where he lay.
“I caught him just right,” he muttered with a touch of compunction. “I
hope I did not hurt him badly.”
When he finally came to the mortars with the mysterious two-wheeled
wagons attached to them, he walked around from one to the other, as if
he were making a careful inspection to see that everything was all
right. It was impossible for him even now to make out what was hidden
under the canvas covers. One thing he could see, however, and that was,
that from under each there ran a carefully insulated electric cable to
the nearest fire hydrant where it was carefully attached.
After inspecting all four, Lawrence turned around and went back to the
second wagon, the cover of which he had noticed was not on exactly
straight. He hoped to be able to see what was underneath, but he found
that the cover was strapped down so tightly that he could get no
inkling.
During all this time the officers and men were standing at attention in
their proper places, although they followed him with their eyes, an
amused expression on their faces.
Finding that it was impossible for him to discover anything while the
covers remained on the wagons, he bellowed in a loud and commanding
voice, not forgetting to imitate Royalty in its cups:
“Lieutenant!”
And to the young officer who ran up to him he said:
“Why is not that cover on straight? Did you not receive orders that
these--” and as Lawrence had not the slightest idea what “these” were,
he substituted a loud hiccough for the unknown name, and contented
himself with pointing with an unsteady hand. “Did you not understand
these had to be perfectly concealed? Now that one is not perfectly
concealed, for I can see perfectly what it is, so take that cover off
and put it on straight. And be quick about it or I will report you for
untidiness.”
The Lieutenant, who was one of the very young recruits now officering
the German Army, feeling overpowered by the presence of Royalty, had
given the order, and the men were unstrapping the cover when the
Captain came up.
“What are you doing there?” he demanded. Then turning sharply to the
young Lieutenant he said in the most brutal manner:
“Don’t you know that the orders are not to take these covers off, not
until the very last minute, not until everything else has been tried
and has failed to bring her down.”
“But His Royal Highness,” stammered the younger officer, “has ordered
this cover off because it is not on straight.”
“But, Your Royal Highness,” expostulated the Captain, although in the
most deferential manner, “don’t you think that this cover is on
straight enough?”
“What! Do you mean to contradict me?” Lawrence almost screamed. “I say
that the cover is not on straight, and I have ordered this fool to take
it off and put it on straight, perfectly straight.”
“But that is impossible,” said the Captain, warily keeping out of reach
of His Royal Highness’s fists. “The orders are that these covers are
not to come off until the American flying machine makes its appearance,
and if it does not appear, the covers are not to come off at all. These
are the orders of the General Staff, and Your Royal Highness must
realize that they have to be obeyed.”
“Well,” said Lawrence with the persistency of a drunken man, talking at
the top of his voice, “if you do not put that cover on straight I will
report you, and you will be court-martialled for insulting a Prince of
the Blood.”
All the while he kept swaying as if he were about to fall.
Straightening himself up with much difficulty and assuming a drunken
dignity he started to go away; but as if he were unable to free his
intoxicated mind from the one idea that obsessed it, he turned and
changed his tone to a persuasive one.
“I don’t insist that you take the cover off,” he laughed, “I only
insist that it be straightened, because you can see as well as I that
it is not on perfectly straight, and your orders were to put these
covers on straight, perfectly straight.”
The Captain, now thoroughly amused, and deciding that the best way was
to humour him, thought, since his orders were only not to remove, that
he would be able to satisfy the Prince without directly disobeying his
instructions. He therefore ordered the men to unstrap the cover and
pull it around.
Lawrence seemed entirely satisfied with this, and took such interest in
seeing that the cover was adjusted to exactly the right position, that
he leaned over and took hold of it himself, as if to give his help. As
he did so he gave a lurch, and grabbing at the cover as if to save
himself, he went down in a heap with it on top of him.
The men helped him quickly to his feet and as quickly readjusted the
cover, but not before he had seen that the drum-shaped objects were in
fact great wooden spools on which were wound thousands and thousands of
yards of large copper wire.
Having seen all that he wanted, he now turned his attention towards
getting back to the Embassy, so taking the Captain’s arm, and seeming
either to have lost all interest or to have been overcome by his fall,
made his way along. He swung and lurched so that it was with difficulty
the officer kept him on his feet.
Then when they arrived at the front steps and the Captain was assisting
him up, Lawrence, as if suddenly awaking from sleep, stopped.
“I am too dirty to go in by the front door,” he protested, “I will go
in by the garden. I am much obliged to you, Captain; don’t come any
farther.”
Then laughing and shaking his finger in the Captain’s face, he said in
a tone of exultation: “I got that cover on straight, anyhow--perfectly
straight.”
Swaying as he rounded the corner of the house, he went in through the
side door, where he found Fred waiting for him, who pulled off his
boots and gave him his pumps.
He took off his busby, and handed it to Fred, unpinned the long
military cloak, unbuckled his sword, turned down the collar of his
evening coat, and “Richard was himself again.”
Stepping into the elevator and letting himself off at the main floor,
he went hurriedly into the room where Edestone was still showing his
pictures, while Fred, after brushing and cleaning the royal
paraphernalia, put them back in their place.
Lawrence moved quickly over to the cabinet where Mr. Black was working
the machine and stepped inside. “I must speak to Mr. Edestone,” he
whispered. “Can’t you stop the machine as if something had gone wrong?
Then Mr. Edestone will come back here and see what is the matter.”
“Not on your life!” Black shook his head violently. “The Emperor now is
in a perfect fury. He and Mr. Edestone have had one or two ‘set-tos,’
and Mr. Edestone is beginning to put it back at him pretty strong, and
if anything should happen to the machine I think it would end in a
fight. I rather wish we were back in New York. If it is necessary for
you to speak to Mr. Edestone before the lights go up, this reel that I
am running off now will take just about eight minutes more, so if you
will slip quietly back of the screen you can whisper to him from there
without attracting much attention. I will make a little extra noise to
help you out.”
Lawrence worked his way unobtrusively through the room, and standing
just to the side of the screen in a dark corner, called in a low voice:
“Jack, can I speak to you?”
Edestone, who had been deeply concerned about him, felt that a load was
lifted from his mind when he heard the dare-devil’s voice. He knew at
least that Lawrence was back safely, and he was confident that he would
not have come back without the information until he had made a good
fight for it. So as everything was quiet on the outside he was
reassured.
Lawrence very quickly explained to him exactly what he had seen, and
Edestone, squeezing his arm, said quietly:
“Ah! That is their little game!”