A VISIT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
That same afternoon Baldos, blissfully ignorant of the stir he had
created in certain circles, rode out for the first time as a member of
the Castle Guard. He and Haddan were detailed by Colonel Quinnox to act
as private escort to Miss Calhoun until otherwise ordered. If Haddan
thought himself wiser than Baldos in knowing that their charge was not
the princess, he was very much mistaken; if he enjoyed the trick that
was being played on his fellow guardsman, his enjoyment was as nothing
as compared to the pleasure Baldos was deriving from the situation. The
royal victoria was driven to the fortress, conveying the supposed
princess and the Countess Dagmar to the home of Count Marlanx. The two
guards rode bravely behind the equipage, resplendent in brilliant new
uniforms. Baldos was mildly surprised and puzzled by the homage paid the
young American girl. It struck him as preposterous that the entire
population of Edelweiss could be in the game to deceive him.
"Who is the princess's companion?" he inquired of Haddan, as they left
the castle grounds.
"The Countess Dagmar, cousin to her highness. She is the wife of
Mr. Anguish."
"I have seen her before," said Baldos, a strange smile on his face.
The Countess Dagmar found it difficult at first to meet the eye of the
new guard, but he was so punctiliously oblivious that her courage was
restored. She even went so far as to whisper in Beverly's ear that he
did not remember her face, and probably would not recognize Yetive as
one of the eavesdroppers. The princess had flatly refused to accompany
them on the visit to the fortress because of Baldos. Struck by a sudden
impulse, Beverly called Baldos to the side of the vehicle.
"Baldos, you behaved very nicely yesterday in exposing the duplicity of
those young women," she said.
"I am happy to have pleased your highness," he said steadily.
"It may interest you to know that they ceased to be ladies-in-waiting
after that exposure."
"Yes, your highness, it certainly is interesting," he said, as he fell
back into position beside Haddan. During the remainder of the ride he
caught himself time after time gazing reflectively at the back of her
proud little head, possessed of an almost uncontrollable desire to touch
the soft brown hair.
"You can't fool that excellent young man much longer, my dear," said the
countess, recalling the look in his dark eyes. The same thought had been
afflicting Beverly with its probabilities for twenty-four hours and
more.
Count Marlanx welcomed his visitors with a graciousness that awoke
wonder in the minds of his staff. His marked preference for the American
girl did not escape attention. Some of the bolder young officers
indulged in surreptitious grimaces, and all looked with more or less
compassion upon the happy-faced beauty from over the sea. Marlanx
surveyed Baldos steadily and coldly, deep disapproval in his sinister
eyes. He had not forgotten the encounter of the day before.
"I see the favorite is on guard," he said blandly. "Has he told you of
the lesson in manners he enjoyed last night?" He was leading his guests
toward the quarters, Baldos and Haddan following. The new guard could
not help hearing the sarcastic remark.
"You didn't have him beaten?" cried Beverly, stopping short.
"No, but I imagine it would have been preferable. I _talked_ with
him for half an hour," said the general, laughing significantly.
When the party stopped at the drinking-fountain in the center of the
fort, Baldos halted near by. His face was as impassive as marble, his
eyes set straight before him, his figure erect and soldierly. An
occasional sarcastic remark by the Iron Count, meant for his ears, made
no impression upon the deadly composure of the new guard who had had his
_lesson_. Miss Calhoun was conscious of a vague feeling that she
had served Baldos an ill-turn when she put him into this position.
The count provided a light luncheon in his quarters after the ladies had
gone over the fortress. Beverly Calhoun, with all of a woman's
indifference to things material, could not but see how poorly equipped
the fort was as compared to the ones she had seen in the United
States. She and the countess visited the armory, the arsenal, and the
repair shops before luncheon, reserving the pleasures of the clubhouse,
the officers' quarters, and the parade-ground until afterwards. Count
Marlanx's home was in the southeast corner of the enclosure, near the
gates. Several of the officers lunched with him and the young
ladies. Marlanx was assiduous in his attention to Beverly Calhoun--so
much so, in fact, that the countess teased her afterwards about her
conquest of the old and well-worn heart. Beverly thought him extremely
silly and sentimental, much preferring him in the character of the
harsh, implacable martinet.
At regular intervals she saw the straight, martial form of Baldos pass
the window near which she sat. He was patrolling the narrow piazza which
fronted the house. Toward the close of the rather trying luncheon she
was almost unable to control the impulse to rush out and compel him to
relax that imposing, machine-like stride. She hungered for a few minutes
of the old-time freedom with him.
The Iron Count was showing her some rare antique bronzes he had
collected in the south. The luncheon was over and the countess had
strolled off toward the bastions with the young officers, leaving
Beverly alone with the host. Servants came in to clear the tables, but
the count harshly ordered them to wait until the guests had departed.
"It is the dearest thing I have seen," said Beverly, holding a rare old
candlestick at arm's length and looking at it in as many ways as the
wrist could turn. Her loose sleeves ended just below the elbows. The
count's eyes followed the graceful curves of her white forearm with an
eagerness that was annoying.
"I prize it more dearly than any other piece in my collection," he
said. "It came from Rome; it has a history which I shall try to tell you
some day, and which makes it almost invaluable. A German nobleman
offered me a small fortune if I would part with it."
"And you wouldn't sell it?"
"I was saving it for an occasion, your highness," he said, his steely
eyes glittering. "The glad hour has come when I can part with it for a
recompense far greater than the baron's gold."
"Oh, isn't it lucky you kept it?" she cried. Then she turned her eyes
away quickly, for his gaze seemed greedily endeavoring to pierce through
the lace insertion covering her neck and shoulders. Outside the window
the steady tramp of the tall guard went on monotonously.
"The recompense of a sweet smile, a tender blush and the unguarded
thanks of a pretty woman. The candlestick is yours, Miss Calhoun,--if
you will repay me for my sacrifice by accepting it without reservation."
Slowly Beverly Calhoun set the candlestick down upon the table her eyes
meeting his with steady disdain.
"What a rare old jester you are, Count Marlanx," she said without a
smile. "If I thought you were in earnest I should scream with
laughter. May I suggest that we join the countess? We must hurry along,
you know. She and I have promised to play tennis with the princess at
three o'clock." The count's glare of disappointment lasted but a moment.
The diplomacy of egotism came to his relief, and he held back the gift
for another day, but not for another woman.
"It grieves me to have you hurry away. My afternoon is to be a dull one,
unless you permit me to watch the tennis game," he said.
"I thought you were interested only in the game of war," she said
pointedly.
"I stand in greater awe of a tennis ball than I do of a cannonball, if
it is sent by such an arm as yours," and he not only laid his eyes but
his hand upon her bare arm. She started as if something had stung her,
and a cold shiver raced over her warm flesh. His eyes for the moment
held her spellbound. He was drawing the hand to his lips when a shadow
darkened the French window, and a saber rattled warningly.
Count Marlanx looked up instantly, a scowl on his face. Baldos stood at
the window in an attitude of alert attention. Beverly drew her arm away
spasmodically and took a step toward the window. The guard saw by her
eyes that she was frightened, but, if his heart beat violently, his face
was the picture of military stoniness.
"What are you doing there?" snarled the count.
"Did your highness call?" asked Baldos coolly.
"She did not call, fellow," said the count with deadly menace in his
voice. "Report to me in half an hour. You still have something to learn,
I see." Beverly was alarmed by the threat in his tones. She saw what
was in store for Baldos, for she knew quite as well as Marlanx that the
guard had deliberately intervened in her behalf.
"He cannot come in half an hour," she cried quickly. "I have something
for him to do, Count Marlanx. Besides, I think I _did_ call." Both
men stared at her.
"My ears are excellent," said Marlanx stiffly.
"I fancy Baldos's must be even better, for he heard me," said Beverly,
herself once more. The shadow of a smile crossed the face of the guard.
"He is impertinent, insolent, your highness. You will report to me
tomorrow, sir, at nine o'clock in Colonel Quinnox's quarters. Now, go!"
commanded the count.
"Wait a minute, Baldos. We are going out, too. Will you open that window
for me?" Baldos gladly took it as a command and threw open the long
French window. She gave him a grateful glance as she stepped through,
and he could scarcely conceal the gleam of joy that shot into his own
eyes. The dark scowl on the count's face made absolutely no impression
upon him. He closed the window and followed ten paces behind the couple.
"Your guard is a priceless treasure," said the count grimly.
"That's what you said about the candlestick," said she sweetly.
She was disturbed by his threat to reprimand Baldos. For some time her
mind had been struggling with what the count had said about "the
lesson." It grew upon her that her friend had been bullied and
humiliated, perhaps in the presence of spectators. Resentment fired her
curiosity into action. While the general was explaining one of the new
gun-carriages to the countess, Beverly walked deliberately over to where
Baldos was standing. Haddan's knowledge of English was exceedingly
limited, and he could understand but little of the rapid
conversation. Standing squarely in front of Baldos, she questioned him
in low tones.
"What did he mean when he said he had given you a lesson?" she
demanded. His eyes gleamed merrily.
"He meant to alarm your highness."
"Didn't he give you a talking to?"
"He coached me in ethics."
"You are evading the question, sir. Was he mean and nasty to you? Tell
me; I want to know."
"Well, he said things that a soldier must endure. A civilian or an equal
might have run him through for it, your highness." A flush rose to his
cheeks and his lips quivered ever so slightly. But Beverly saw and
understood. Her heart was in her eyes.
"That settles it," she said rigidly. "You are not to report to him at
nine tomorrow."
"But he will have me shot, your highness," said he gladly.
"He will do nothing of the kind. You are _my_ guard," and her eyes
were gleaming dangerously. Then she rejoined the group, the members of
which had been watching her curiously. "Count Marlanx," she said, with
entrancing dimples, "will you report to me at nine to-morrow morning?"
"I have an appointment," he said slowly, but with understanding.
"But you will break it, I am sure," she asserted confidently. "I want to
give you a lesson in--in lawn tennis."
Later on, when the victoria was well away from the fort, Dagmar took her
companion to task for holding in public friendly discourse with a member
of the guard, whoever he might be.
"It is altogether contrary to custom, and--" but Beverly put her hand
over the critical lips and smiled like a guilty child.
"Now, don't scold," she pleaded, and the countess could go no further.
The following morning Count Marlanx reported at nine o'clock with much
better grace than he had suspected himself capable of exercising. What
she taught him of tennis on the royal courts, in the presence of an
amused audience, was as nothing to what he learned of strategy as it can
be practiced by a whimsical girl. Almost before he knew it she had won
exemption for Baldos, that being the stake for the first set of
singles. To his credit, the count was game. He took the wager, knowing
that he, in his ignorance, could not win from the blithe young expert in
petticoats. Then he offered to wager the brass candlestick against her
bracelet. She considered for a moment and then, in a spirit of
enthusiasm, accepted the proposition. After all, she coveted the
candlestick. Half an hour later an orderly was riding to the fort with
instructions to return at once with Miss Calhoun's candlestick. It is on
record that they were "love" sets, which goes to prove that Beverly took
no chances.
Count Marlanx, puffing and perspiring, his joints dismayed and his brain
confused, rode away at noon with Baron Dangloss. Beverly, quite happy in
her complete victory, enjoyed a nap of profound sweetness and then was
ready for her walk with the princess. They were strolling leisurely
about the beautiful grounds, safe in the shade of the trees from the
heat of the July sun, when Baron Dangloss approached.
"Your royal highness," he began, with his fierce smile, "may I beg a
moment's audience?"
"It has to do with Baldos, I'll take oath," said Beverly, with
conviction.
"Yes, with your guard. Yesterday he visited the fortress. He went in an
official capacity, it is true, but he was privileged to study the
secrets of our defense with alarming freedom. It would not surprise me
to find that this stranger has learned everything there is to know about
the fort." His listeners were silent. The smiles left their faces. "I am
not saying that he would betray us--"
"No, no!" protested Beverly.
"--but he is in a position to give the most valuable information to an
enemy. An officer has just informed me that Baldos missed not a detail
in regard to the armament, or the location of vital spots in the
construction of the fortress."
"But he wouldn't be so base as to use his knowledge to our undoing,"
cried Yetive seriously.
"We only know that he is not one of us. It is not beyond reason that his
allegiance is to another power, Dawsbergen, for instance. Count Marlanx
is not at all in sympathy with him, you are aware. He is convinced that
Baldos is a man of consequence, possibly one of our bitterest enemies,
and he hates him. For my own part, I may say that I like the man. I
believe he is to be trusted, but if he be an agent of Volga or Gabriel,
his opportunity has come. He is in a position to make accurate maps of
the fort and of all our masked fortifications along the city walls."
Beyond a doubt, the baron was worried.
"Neither am I one of you," said Beverly stoutly. "Why shouldn't I prove
to be a traitress?"
"You have no quarrel with us, Miss Calhoun," said Dangloss.
"If anything happens, then, I am to be blamed for it," she cried in deep
distress. "I brought him to Edelweiss, and I believe in him."
"For his own sake, your highness, and Miss Calhoun, I suggest that no
opportunity should be given him to communicate with the outside
world. We cannot accuse him, of course, but we can _protect_ him.
I come to ask your permission to have him detailed for duty only in
places where no suspicion can attach to any of his actions."
"You mean inside the city walls?" asked Yetive.
"Yes, your highness, and as far as possible from the fortress."
"I think it is a wise precaution. Don't be angry, Beverly," the princess
said gently. "It is for his own sake, you see. I am acting on the
presumption that he is wholly innocent of any desire to betray us."
"It would be easy for someone high in position to accuse and convict
him," said Dangloss meaningly.
"And it would be just like someone, too," agreed Beverly, her thoughts,
with the others', going toward none but one man "high in power."
Later in the day she called Baldos to her side as they were riding in
the castle avenue. She was determined to try a little experiment of her
own.
"Baldos, what do you think of the fortress?" she
"I could overthrow it after half an hour's bombardment, your highness,"
he answered, without thinking. She started violently.
"Is it possible? Are there so many weak points?" she went on, catching
her breath.
"There are three vital points of weakness, your highness. The magazine
can be reached from the outside if one knows the lay of the land; the
parade-ground exposes the ammunition building to certain disadvantages,
and the big guns could be silenced in an hour if an enemy had the sense
first to bombard from the elevation northeast of the city."
"Good heavens!" gasped poor Beverly. "Have you studied all this out?"
"I was once a real soldier, your highness," he said, simply. "It was
impossible for me not to see the defects in your fort."
"You--you haven't told anyone of this, have you?" she cried, white-faced
and anxious.
"No one but your highness. You do not employ me as a tale-bearer, I
trust."
"I did not mean to question your honor," she said. "Would you mind going
before the heads of the war department and tell them just what you have
told me? I mean about the weak spots."
"If it is your command, your highness," he said quietly, but he was
surprised.
"You may expect to be summoned then, so hold yourself in readiness. And,
Baldos--"
"Yes, your highness?"
"You need say nothing to them of our having talked the matter over
beforehand--unless they pin you down to it, you know."