A GREEK GIFT
At dinner his Excellency was thoughtful and taciturn, and we had a
rather dismal meal. He noticed my dress when we met, however.
"You have your clothes, then?" he said in his dryest manner.
"Yes, my servant came to arrange the things I needed."
"I don't wish to know," he exclaimed, promptly, with a glance which
showed me that he understood I had not been idle.
But after that he scarcely spoke. The girls chattered to me, chiefly
making fun of the new governess before her face in the most impudent
manner; but I was too busy with my own thoughts to pay much heed.
Something had happened since the General and I had parted; and I was
sure it concerned me; so I waited and watched until either he should
tell me or I should find it out for myself.
He sent the girls and their governess away almost before they had
finished eating, and took me at once into the little salon where we
usually played chess.
"Is it a compliment to me that you have arrayed yourself so?" he asked.
In that moment I seemed to guess what was in his thoughts. "It is
perhaps a coincidence," I said with a smile.
"Why a coincidence?" He was puzzled.
"Because I had not expected to see any one but yourself."
He nodded. "That instinct of yours always interests me."
I had gone to the chess board and taken two or three pieces out of the
box. I put them back. "So we are not to play chess to-night. Who is
it?"
"No, there you are wrong for once. We are to play. I have spoken of
your chess-playing powers to a very old friend of mine, and he is
coming to see us play."
I shook my head. "Your Excellency means that the game is to be a
pretext. What is his name?"
"I am not 'your Excellency' to you, Christabel. It is General von
Walther--an old comrade of mine."
"I am getting interested in him already--an old comrade whose
unexpected visit made you so thoughtful during dinner that you could
scarcely speak a word. On my account, too. The only time you spoke
was to express satisfaction that I was dressed well enough to receive
him."
"You are building a palace with match boxes, Christabel. You had
better set the men."
I set them and we began to play. I made two or three egregiously bad
moves; and he did not notice them. The "old comrade" was evidently
still absorbing his thoughts; and began to fill mine too.
"Hadn't we better have something more like a real game when he comes
in? It should at least look like serious chess," I said, and was
making some impromptu changes in the positions of the men when General
von Walther was announced.
I shut down the smile which followed my first glance at him. It was
too bad of his Excellency to try and deceive me. I had seen the "old
comrade" before, however; and I was not likely to forget him. It was
Duke Ladislas himself.
They both played up to the arranged parts, and of course I did my best
to help them.
"Come in, old friend," said his Excellency, genially. "This is the
chess prodigy. My old friend General von Walther, Miss Gilmore."
"His Excellency always flatters me, General, because on one occasion I
was lucky enough to beat him."
"I am delighted to meet you, Miss von Dreschler," said the "general,"
so occupied in giving me a sharp look that he did not notice he had
used the wrong name. "You are a great favourite of my old friend."
I made an appropriate reply, and for some minutes we chatted about
chess, and the weather, and what I thought of Pesth, and so
on--anything except what he must have come to speak about; whatever
that was.
Then I challenged him laughingly to a game; but I suppose he was in
reality no player at all, for he got out of the challenge by saying he
would rather look on.
So we went on with our game again and had made some half a dozen moves,
when a servant came to say that Count Somassy, the Minister of Justice,
wished to speak with his Excellency. He pretended intense regret for
the interruption to our game, begged us both to excuse him for a few
minutes, and then the "old comrade" and I were left alone. I knew of
course that this had all been arranged; and that we were now to come to
the real business of the meeting.
"You are staying some time in Pesth?" he opened.
"I scarcely know. You see I am a foreigner now, and an American
citizen is never long away from the States without a heart ache."
"You say 'now,'" he commented, as I had intended. I thought he would
appreciate the word.
"Yes. I am Hungarian by birth--but a naturalized citizen of the United
States. Here, of course, I am only a girl; but at home, in Jefferson
City, Missouri, I am quite a person of importance. I inherited my
uncle's fortune, and over there you know we reckon importance by
dollars. You would be astonished at the consideration I receive in my
travels from all our representatives, consuls, and even ambassadors."
This was not strictly accurate; but the point had to be driven home
that he could not play monkey-tricks with me. He did not like this any
more than I thought he would, and paused so long that I said: "Shall we
not have a game, General, while his Excellency is away? It looks as if
his sudden appointment might last some time."
I think he began to gather in that I was not quite fooled by the little
entertainment.
"I think not, thank you. The fact is I wish to speak to you on some
matters."
"Connected with America?"
"Well, not exactly. Rather of a private character."
I froze instantly and was appropriately dignified. "I don't think I
quite understand. In Missouri we don't discuss our private affairs
with strangers."
"This is not Missouri," he said, dropping for the moment the "old
comrade" tone and using the brief curt note of authority. As an
American citizen I resented the tone and rose.
"I am not a school girl, sir, having a lesson in geography." It was
intentionally pert and flippant, and I made him a bow and moved toward
the door.
"I am sorry. Pray forgive my manner. An old soldier, you know, drops
now and again into the drill manner."
"American women do not take kindly to drilling, General."
"No, no, Miss Gilmore; you must acquit me of any intention to offend
you. I wish to speak to you seriously. Pray sit down again."
I should have been intensely sorry to have ended so promising an
interview, so I sat down and stared stonily at him. He was one of
those vulture-faced old men, with a large hook nose, a wide mouth, and
a small square chin, which when he spoke suggested irresistibly the
moving lower bill of the bird. He had dark, piercing, beady eyes,
rather deep set under prominent eyebrows, and a waxen white forehead,
rounded like a bird's poll.
"I wish to speak to you about Count Gustav."
"Yes?"
"I am a friend of his and his family, and possess their confidence, and
being also a friend of General von Erlanger's, I thought it would be
desirable for me to speak with you."
"Yes?"
"As a mutual friend, if I may say so, and an old man of long experience
of the world."
"Yes?" I said again, maintaining the same stony stare.
"Count Gustav has told me the facts, and as it is generally the case in
these exceedingly private and painful matters a solution satisfactory
to both sides can be found by a third disinterested person--where there
is a mutual desire to find one, of course--he deemed it best, and I
agreed with him, that I should see you and speak plainly and frankly to
you."
This time when he paused I bowed merely and said nothing.
"I may take it that you do desire some arrangement? You are silent,
but I presume it; because I am convinced so charming a young lady as
yourself could not harbour any personal malice against the Count. That
would be a monstrous thought. And further, you are so capable, so
exceptionally capable and clever, that you cannot have disguised from
yourself that to attempt to harm a member of the Ducal family, whatever
the motive or supposed facts, would not only end in failure, but also
in personal inconvenience, to use no stronger term, to the person
making the attempt."
I kept my eyes fixed steadily on him; and my stare and silence began to
tell on his temper. I was rather glad to see that.
Getting no reply, he made another long speech about his amiable
intentions, my many excellent qualities, his extreme reluctance to see
me come to harm, the impossibility of my hurting Count Gustav, and the
necessity for an amicable settlement. But he made the threat a little
more unmistakable this time--owing possibly to his anger at my stony
reserve.
He paused, and we looked at one another in silence.
Then as if he had done with preambles he said: "And now, what is it you
want? I invite you to speak frankly."
"'Frankly'?" I repeated, with a nasty little accent on the word. "May
I put two questions to you?" He bowed and waved his hands. Like the
rest of him they were bird-like and suggested talons. "Do you come to
me from Count Gustav or from the Duke himself?"
"I speak for--both," he answered, not without hesitation.
"Then please tell me what is behind your threat of 'personal
inconvenience'? What do they intend to do, if I refuse to come to an
arrangement? What _can_ they do to me?"
"They are strong enough to frustrate any attack of the kind from you or
any one else."
"But what _can_ they do? You are a _mutual_ friend, you know,
General;" and I gave him one of my sweetest smiles.
"I have no hesitation in saying you might be in great personal danger,
Miss Gilmore."
"I have already reminded you that I am an American citizen."
"You may take it from me that you will be prevented from taking any
action of the hostile kind you contemplate."
I smiled again. "I am not in the least frightened, General. I am
smiling because you come to me to speak about a mutual
arrangement--when you have made up your mind that the only arrangement
to be thought of is unconditional surrender on my part. And to force
that, you threaten me with unspeakable penalties. We shouldn't call
that any sort of arrangement at all, in the States, but merely--pardon
the word--bluff."
I was gaining my first point rapidly. He was getting very angry at my
opposition and the way I put it.
"I was prepared to find you a very daring young woman; but this thing
shall not be allowed to go farther. You reckon on General von
Erlanger's help; but he will be powerless here."
I indulged him with a third smile. "You are not quite right there. I
have done something else. Knowing the Duke's power and influence might
prevent his Excellency from protecting me, I wrote out an account of
the matter and have arranged that--if anything unforeseen should happen
to me, to-night, for instance--it shall be placed to-morrow morning in
the hands of the American Consul. And even against the Ducal family, I
will back my Government to keep its end up."
I paused, but he had nothing ready to answer that with; so I continued:
"I think you'll agree that that foresight of mine cancels your threat,
and that we can start in again on equal terms."
His talons having failed to grip me now gripped one another, and with
considerable tension too. His right hand fastened like a vice on his
left wrist.
"I did not threaten you, I only warned you. What is it you want?"
"In the first place, fair play--and it is not playing fairly for Duke
Ladislas to come to me in the disguise of a mutual friend."
"You know me, then?"
"As well as you know me. Inadvertently, when you entered, you called
me by my name--von Dreschler. You know, also, one of the objects I
seek--justice for my father's name. That it be cleared from the shame
and disgrace foully and treacherously put upon it in the interest of
you and your family--the responsibility for a deed of blood of which he
was innocent, but which you, or those promoting your interests,
instigated, planned, and carried out."
"'Fore God, you speak daringly, madam."
"I speak the truth, my Lord, just as I demand to have justice done.
Not demand only, but command it shall be done--for the power to command
has been put into my hands by the perfidy and wickedness of your son,
Count Gustav."
I looked for an outburst from him in response; but none came. He sat
silent, the right talon still gripping the left as though he wished it
were my throat.
"I do not know with what motive you came to me," I said after a pause;
"unless it was to try and frighten me into silence. But I will deal
more frankly with you than you with me. If you have come to offer me
less than justice to my father's memory, we are only wasting time; and
the interview, painful to both, may as well end right now."
"I offer you that and no less," he answered, and he loosed his wrist to
wave his hand as if with a gesture of compliance.
It was my turn to be surprised now; but I was sceptical at so ready a
surrender after his threats. "That is glad news, indeed. When will
the truth be made known?"
"At once. I will see that it is done. As others have done, you have
misjudged me. I see that of course. I have been secretly deemed, I
know, to have had some guilty connivance in the death of the young
Count Stephen; and in that, have had to bear the blame for the acts of
my too zealous adherents. My family profited by their rashness; and so
the world held, as it will, that advantage and guilt went hand in hand."
"I seek in that awful matter only justice for my father's memory.
Restore his good name, and who else loses or gains, is nothing to me."
"I pledge myself as to that. The facts shall be drawn up and made
public; and further, I will interest myself to secure that the title he
held, Count Melnik, shall be restored to you, together with the estate
which was confiscated. Full justice shall be done."
"Thank God for that!" I exclaimed, intensely moved.
"To-morrow, my son Gustav is to come here to you, and he shall bring
with him full confirmation in writing of what I have now promised you.
On that I give you my word."
I leant back in my chair overcome. The knowledge of what I had gained
mingled with the poignant regret that my dear father had not lived to
share the joy of his vindication brought the tears to my eyes. I could
not speak, so mastering was the emotion.
"I will leave you now, Miss von Dreschler," said the Duke as he rose.
"When we next meet you will be the Countess Melnik--not that I think
you will value such a title except for what it means--the full
restitution of your dead father's honour."
He held out his hand, and I rose and gave him mine in silence.
When he had gone I sank back in my chair, elation at my success still
battling with that vehement but useless regret that my father had not
lived to see that night; and the battle was still being waged when his
Excellency entered.
I dashed away my tears.
"I have won," I said, smiling. "I am sure I owe it chiefly to you.
The Duke has given me a solemn promise that my father's name shall be
cleared."
I looked for a sign of congratulation; but instead, my old friend
glanced at me slowly and very shrewdly, and moved on to his chair.
"You are an excellent linguist, but probably do not know the dead
languages, Christabel. There is an old tag of Virgil's for instance:
'Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes'."
"I know what that means, at any rate," I cried. "'I fear the Greeks
even when bearing gifts.'"
He turned and looked at me again very thoughtfully. Then nodding his
head he answered with slow emphasis; "It is possible to learn the
meaning of it--even in Pesth."
"You think this is a Greek gift?"
"I think--we may still finish our game of chess, Christabel;" and he
came over to the board and examined the position of the men.