THE WARNING LIGHT
Jessie could feel rather than see that the signal was flashing out
again. She looked about her for some assistance. In the distance a man
came from the direction of the house. In the semi-darkness he paused to
light a cigarette, and the reflection of the match shone on his face.
Jessie started, and her face flushed. It seemed as if the stars were
fighting for her to-night. She recognized the dark, irregular features
behind the glow of the match. She had made up her mind what to do.
Surely the queen would understand that there was cause for delay, that
some unforeseen danger threatened.
The man with the cigarette strolled close by the fountain. He had his
hands behind him, and appeared to be plunged in thought. He would have
passed the fountain altogether without seeing the two standing there,
only Jessie called to him to stop in a clear gay voice.
"Have you lost anything, Captain Hope?" she asked. "Won't you come and
tell us what it is?"
Jessie's voice was perfectly steady, but her heart was beating to
suffocation now. For Vera's cousin, Captain Ronald Hope, was perfectly
well known to her in her own private capacity as Jessie Harcourt. Hope
had been a frequent visitor at her father's house in the old days, and
Jessie had had her dreams. Had he not inspired Vera's daring scheme!
Hope had not forgotten her, though she had elected to disappear and
leave no sign, the girl knew full well; for had not Hope told Vera
Galloway of the marvellous likeness between herself and Jessie Harcourt?
It was a critical moment. That Hope had cared for her Jessie well knew,
though she sternly told her heart that it was not to be. Would he
recognize her and penetrate her disguise? If the eyes of love are blind
in some ways they make up for it in others. Jessie's heart seemed to
stand still as Hope raised his crushed hat and came leisurely up the
steps of the fountain.
"I was looking for my lost and wasted youth, Miss Galloway," he said.
"How are you, Prince? What a night!"
"A night for lovers," Mazaroff said, though Jessie could see that he was
terribly annoyed at the interruption of their conversation. "Reminds one
of birds and nightingales and rose bowers. Positively, I think of the
days when I used to send valentines and love tokens to my many
sweethearts."
"And what does it remind you of, Captain Hope?" Jessie asked.
"_You_ always remind me of my friend Jessie Harcourt," Hope said. "The
more I see of you, the more I see the likeness."
"The little shop-girl in Bond Street," Mazaroff burst out. "I have met
her. Ah, yes."
"We are waiting for Captain Hope to tell us what the evening reminds him
of," Jessie said hurriedly.
"Certainly," Captain Hope said. "Afterwards I may want to ask Prince
Mazaroff a question. This reminds me of a night three years ago--a night
in a lovely lane, with the moon rising at the end of it. Of course,
there was a man and a woman in the lane, and they talked of the future.
They picked some flowers, so as to be in tune with the picture. They
picked dog roses----"
"'Your heart and mine' played out with the petals," Jessie laughed. "Do
you know the other form of blowing the seed from a dandelion, only you
use rose petals instead?"
There was a swift change on the face of Captain Hope. His face paled
under the healthy tan as he looked quickly at Jessie. Their eyes met
just for a moment--there was a flash of understanding between them.
Mazaroff saw nothing, for he was lighting a cigar by the lip of the
fountain. Jessie broke into some nonsense, only it was quite uncertain
if she knew what she was saying. She appealed to Mazaroff, and as she
did so she knocked the cigar that he had laid on the edge of the
fountain so that it rolled down the steps on to the grass.
"How excessively clumsy of me!" Jessie cried. "Let me get it back for
you, Prince Boris."
With a smile Prince Mazaroff proceeded to regain his cigar. Quick as a
flash Ronald Hope turned to Jessie.
"What is it you want?" he asked. "What am I to do to help you? Only say
the word."
"Get rid of that man," Jessie panted. "I can't explain now. Only get rid
of that man and see that he is kept out of the way for at least ten
minutes. Then you can return to me if you like."
Hope nodded. He appeared to have grasped the situation. With some
commonplace on his lips he passed leisurely towards the house. Before
Mazaroff could take up the broken threads of the subject a young man,
who might have been in the diplomatic service, came hurrying to the
spot.
"I have been looking everywhere for you, Prince Boris," he said. "Lord
Merehaven would like to say a few words to you. I am very sorry to
detain you, but this is a matter of importance."
Mazaroff's teeth flashed in a grin which was not a grin of pleasure. He
had no suspicion that this had been all arranged in the brief moment
that he was looking for his cigar, the thing seemed genuine and
spontaneous. With one word to the effect that he would be back again in
a moment, he followed the secretary.
Jessie had a little time to breathe at last. She looked round her
eagerly, but the signal was not given again. Ought she not to fly up the
steps of the corridor? the girl asked herself. As she looked up again at
the now darkened window the light came up for a moment, and the figure
of a man, recognizable as that of General Maxgregor, stood out in high
relief. The head of the figure was shaken twice, and the light vanished
again. Jessie could make nothing of it except that she was not to hurry.
Whilst she was still waiting and wondering what to do, Captain Ronald
Hope returned. His face was stern, but at the same time there was a
tender light in his eyes that told Jessie not to fear.
"What is the meaning of it all?" he asked. "I never had such a surprise
in my life. When you spoke about our old sweetheart pastime of your
heart and mine played with the petals of the wild rose, I recognized you
for Jessie Harcourt at once, because we invented that game, and the
understanding was that we were never to tell anybody else. Oh, yes, I
see that you are my dear little Jessie now."
The tender words thrilled Jessie. She spoke with an unsteady smile on
her lips.
"But you did not recognize me till I gave you a clue," she said. "Are
you very angry with me, Ronald?"
"I meant to be if ever I found you," Hope said. "I am going to be stern.
I was going to ask you why you had----"
"Dear Ronald, you had no right to speak like that. Great friends as we
used to be----"
"Oh, yes, I know what you are going to say. Great friends as we were, I
had never told you that I loved you. But you knew it perfectly well,
without any mere words of mine; your heart told you so. Though I have
never kissed you--never so much as had my arm about your waist--we knew
all the time. And I meant to wait till after my long stay in Ireland.
Then your father died, and you were penniless, and you disappeared. My
dearest girl, why did you not tell me?"
"Because you were poor, Ronald. Because I did not want to stand between
you and your career. Ada and myself were as proud as we were penniless.
And I thought that you would soon forget."
"Forget! Impossible to forget you, Jessie. I am not that kind of man. I
came here frequently because I was trying to get a diplomatic
appointment, through my friend General Maxgregor, in the Asturian
service, where there is both trouble and danger and the chance of a
future. And every time that I saw Vera Galloway my heart seemed to ache
for the sight of you. I told her about you often. Now tell me, why did
your pride break down so suddenly to-night? You might have passed for
Vera had you not spoken about the roses."
"I had the most pressing need of your assistance," Jessie said hoarsely.
"I did not want to disclose myself, but conscience called me
imperatively. I dare say you are wondering why I am masquerading here as
Miss Galloway, and where she is gone. I cannot tell you. She only found
me out to-day, and implored me to come to her and take her place. My
decision to do so was not free from sordid consideration. I have played
my part with success till that scoundrel Mazaroff came along. At present
I am in attendance on the Queen of Asturia, who is in one of the rooms
overhead with General Maxgregor and a helpless paralytic creature who is
no less than the King of Asturia. If you ask me about this mystery I
cannot tell you. The whole thing was fixed up in a desperate hurry, and
here I am. It was necessary to get Prince Mazaroff out of the way so
that the queen could return without being seen. I should not be
surprised to find that Mazaroff was no more than a vulgar Russian spy
after all."
"I feel pretty well convinced of it," Hope said. "But how long is this
to go on, Jessie?"
"Till Miss Galloway comes back dressed in the fashion of the Bond Street
shop-girl. Then we shall change dresses, and I shall be free to depart."
Hope whispered something sweet, and the colour came to Jessie's cheeks.
She was feeling resolute and brave enough now. As she turned and glanced
at the upstairs window she saw the light spring up and the blind pulled
aside. Then a man, stripped to his shirt and trousers, threw up the
window and stood upon the parapet waving his arms wildly and
gesticulating the while. A stifled cry came from Jessie's lips. If the
man fell to the ground he would fall on the stone terrace and be killed
on the spot.
[Illustration: "_A stifled cry came from Jessie's lips._"]
But he did not fall; somebody gripped him from behind, the window was
shut, and the blind fell. There was darkness for a few seconds, and then
the two flashes of the signal came once more, sharp and imperative.