"Oh, thank you. Talk now of something else."
I said, "Yes, in a moment." It occurred to me that I might use Merton.
"My friend will be in our army uniform, an entirely unsuspected man.
How pretty those flowers are!"
I found her charming, a widow, and if I might judge from her jewels,
one at ease in regard to money. Before we left, after dinner, I had a
few minutes more of talk with her in the drawing-room. She was free
from the look of care I had observed when presented.
"Good-by," I said, as we parted, "and be assured that you have
friends."
"Oh, thank you!" she murmured. "But I am involving others in my
difficulties. I wish I had never done it. Good night." I went home,
curious and perplexed.
Early in the morning of the next day I went to the rooms of our first
secretary. In reply to my request, he said he had two cards for the
ball at my disposal, and would arrange matters with the master of
ceremonies. I accepted one card for Merton, and went away well pleased
and regretful that I found it better, as she had done, to leave this
singular errand to another.
I made haste to call on Merton, and finding him in, related my
fortunate meeting with Mme. Bellegarde, and told him what she expected
us to do. He was much pleased, and I happy in finding for our purpose
a man whom no one was likely to watch. I urged him, however, to be
cautious, and went away, arranging that he should call on me after the
ball, even though his visit might be far on in the night. I was too
curious and too anxious to wait longer.
It was after three in the morning when he aroused me from the nap into
which I had fallen.
"By George!" he cried, "she is a delightful and a brave woman. I told
you so; but, good heavens! she is in a sad scrape."
"Well, what is it? Has she robbed the Bank of France?"
"Worse. I told you it was some diplomatic tangle. I was right. It is a
big one."
"For Heaven's sake, go on!"
"She is beautiful."
"Of course; I know that. But what happened?"
"I said she was beautiful."
"Yes, twice, and you have never seen her face."
"No, but you told me so. However, I went early and waited about the
door until she came in. I kept her in sight. It wasn't easy. A
half-hour later I got my chance. She had been left by her last partner
near a small picture-gallery, and was chatting with an old lady. I
said, 'It is my dance, I believe.' She rose at once. As we moved away
I whispered, 'Lincoln,' and on her replying, 'America,' she guided me
through the gallery and at last into a small conservatory and behind
some orange-trees. No one was near. 'One moment,' she said; 'even here
I am not free.' I saw no evidence of her being watched, but she was, I
fancied, in an agony of apprehension. As I mentioned my name and tried
to reassure her, she let fall her black domino saying, 'Quick, push it
under that sofa!' She wore beneath it a pearl-colored silk domino,
and, of course, was still masked."
"By George!" said I, "a woman of resources. How clever that was!"
Merton went on: "Then we sat down, I saying: 'Be cool, and don't
hurry. You are entirely secure.' She did go on, and what a story! She
said:
"'On the night before I involved Mr Greville in trouble, I went to an
evening party at Count le Moyne's. I was never there before, or only
to call on the countess, and at that time talked a few minutes with
the count. They have been here hardly more than a month. When I
arrived there was a great crush in the hall and on the stair. As I
waited to get rid of my wraps the count came through the crowd and
passed me. He had, I suppose, been belated at the Foreign Office. He
seemed to be in haste and went behind a screen and into a room on the
side of the hall. A little later the music up-stairs ceased. I heard
cries of fire. People rushed down the stairway screaming. There was a
jam in the hall and a terrible crush at the outer doors. A curtain had
been blown across a console and taken fire; that was all, but the
alarm and confusion were dreadful. Women fainted. One or two men made
brutal efforts to escape. I have a temperament which leaves me pretty
cool in real danger. There was none but what the terror of these
people created. I was hustled about and, with others, driven against
the Chinese screen which covered the doorway of the count's office. I
said he had entered it--yes, I told you that. As the alarm grew, it
must have reached him, for he came out and had to use violence to push
the screen away so as to let him pass. The tumult was at its height as
he went by me crying, '_Mon Dieu!_' He ran along a back passageway and
disappeared. There were other women near, but I was so placed as to be
able to slip behind the screen he had pushed away. I am afraid that he
recognized me. As I thus took refuge in the doorway the screen was
crushed against it, and I was caught. Of course I was excited, but I
was cool compared with the people outside. I tried the door behind me
and felt it open. Then I saw that I was in the count's private office.
On the table a lamp was burning. As I was crossing the room to try a
side-door entrance into the garden, I caught sight of a large paper
envelop on the table. I could not help seeing the largely written
inscription. I paused. In an instant I realized that I was in an
enemy's country and had a quick sense of anger as I read: "_Foreign
Office. Confidential. Recognition of the Confederate States. Note
remarks by his Majesty the Emperor. Make full digest at once. Haste
required! Drouyn de Lhuys._" I stood still. For a moment, believe me,
I forgot the fire--everything. I suppose the devil was at my side.'
"'A good devil,' said I.
"She said: 'Oh, please not to laugh. It was terrible. If you had lived
in France these two years you would know. I have been all summer in
the utmost distress about my country. I have been insulted and mocked
because of our failures. Women can be very cruel. The desirability of
France and England acknowledging the Confederacy was almost daily
matter of talk among the people I met. Here before me, in my power,
was information sure to be valuable to our legation--to my country. I
little dreamed of its importance. I did not reflect. I acted on
impulse. I seized the big envelop and drew my cloak around me. The
package was bulky and heavy.'"
"Good heavens! Merton," said I, "She stole it!"
"Stole it! Nonsense! It was war--glorious."
I shook my head in disapproval, and had at once a vast longing to see
our worried and anxious envoys profit by the beautiful thief's
outrageous robbery.
Merton continued: "I will go on to state it as well as I can in her
own words. She said: 'I stood a moment in doubt, but the noise in the
hall increased. The screen was driven in fragments against the door. I
might be caught at any moment. That would mean ruin. I tried the side
door. It was not locked, and in a moment I found myself outside, in
the garden. I went around to the front of the house, and in a minute
or two secured a cabriolet and was driven home. Then my worst troubles
began. I had acted on impulse. It was wrong. I was a thief. Was it not
wrong? Oh, I know it was wicked! To think, sir, that I should have
done such a thing!'
"When she spoke out in this way," said Merton, "I saw that if we were
to help her, it was essential that we should know whether she was
becoming irresolute. To test her I said: 'But, madame, you could have
given it back to the count next day. You may be sure he would never
have told; and now, poor man, he is in a terrible scrape, and that
unlucky Foreign Office! It is not yet too late. Why not return the
papers?'
"For a moment I felt ashamed, because even before I made this effort
to see if it was worth while to take the grave risks which I saw
before us, I knew that she was sobbing."
"It was worth while. But what," I asked, "did she say?" If Merton had
said that she was weakening, I should have felt some relief and more
disappointment.