“I HAVE UNBOUNDED FAITH IN YOU”
All my impressions of the interview with the Prince were quickly
overshadowed by the one overpowering fear that the Princess was in
imminent personal danger from the fury of the Countess Bokara. The
Princess was regarded by her as the central pivot on which the whole
Russian intrigue turned, and to take her life was the openly avowed
object of that dangerous woman’s passion.
That any attempt would be subtly planned and fearlessly carried out
I knew well enough, and it was for the perfecting of such a scheme
that she sought my help. This was indeed the crowning irony of the
situation. I, who would give my life to save the Princess’s, was to
be this reckless fury’s accomplice in a plot to murder her, in order
to keep on the throne a Prince who had solemnly declared to me his
unalterable decision to resign it.
Yet there was one ray of consolation. It was probable that I should
be able to hold her scheme in check long enough to secure the safety
of her intended victim, and I could at once urge upon the latter the
necessity for the greatest caution. It was with this thought in my mind
that I made my visit to the Princess in the afternoon.
Her house was a large one standing by itself in the centre of the
town, and I scanned it curiously. I noticed with satisfaction that
great precautions had been taken. All the windows in the lower
part were barred heavily; and the defences might have been planned
with the express view of preventing just such an attempt as was in
contemplation. The Russians had obviously done the work, knowing the
need for guarding jealously the woman on whom so much depended.
On that score I had no apprehensions, therefore, and I resolved to
question the Princess closely as to the state of affairs within, and
whether she was absolutely sure of those who formed her household.
She received me very graciously.
“Your interview with the Prince has made you thoughtful, Count,” she
said, after a few minutes. “Was my forecast right? and what have you
done?”
“I have accepted the commission in his regiment, but I have not pledged
myself to support his cause--indeed, he said that I should probably
find myself bound in the end to commit myself to the Russian party.”
“It is singular that a man who showed himself so brave, and at first so
capable, should be unable to read what is as plain as a book to other
people.”
“His reading is that the one possible future for the country is for it
to pass into the power of Russia.”
“I know that. It is his besetting weakness.” She said this very
thoughtfully, and then her face and eyes lighted as she added with
vehemence: “And it is wrong--utterly and wholly wrong. The merest
counsel of despair. By the help of Heaven we will live to prove it so;
and if I have not counted on you in vain, you shall help us in the
glorious work.”
She turned her eyes upon me with a look that infected me with her
enthusiasm. “You will help us, will you not?”
“With everything I possess, even to my life.”
“I know it; I am sure of you. Would to heaven we had more men like
you with us! I am going to trust you--put perhaps our lives in your
keeping, for I know well enough the dangers of the work. But I trust
you--absolutely.” She held out her hand as she said this with an air
and tone of implicit confidence, and I carried her fingers to my lips.
“Show me how to help,” I said, my voice unsteady with emotion.
“Openly we are all allied to the Russians in a scheme which is to make
me the reigning Princess, independent of all Russian influence. This
is the veil which hides their real intentions. Secretly there is an
engagement that I shall become the wife of the Duke Sergius, admitting
him to a half share of the throne, and thus Russianising it completely.
To make sure of me, it is arranged that we be married secretly, the
union only to be announced after my accession. The object for this is
of course to bind me irrevocably to them beforehand; and it is expected
that while I am seemingly independent, all that is national and
patriotic in Bulgaria will be rallied to my support. We should thus get
a firm hold of the throne and of all classes of the people without the
suspicion of too great Russian predominance. Do you see that?”
I did; and my looks showed that I did not relish it.
“It is a shrewd scheme, no doubt,” I said.
She gazed at me steadily, almost reproachfully, I thought. But I did
not like the scheme, and would not pretend that I did.
“Is it a plan you will help?” she asked. I was silent and cast my eyes
on the ground.
“Is it a plan you will help?” she repeated.
“You place me in a position of great difficulty, Princess,” I replied,
slowly.
“Will you help me in it?” she repeated.
“With such powerful influence behind you, you will not need my help
that I can see,” I returned, ungraciously, for the scowling brutal face
of Duke Sergius was in my thoughts.
Her eyes were still bent steadily upon me, and a side glance showed me
their expression had changed.
“You are not frank with me, Count Benderoff,” she said, after a pause;
and at that I looked up and said bluntly:
“If I offend you I am sorry; but I will not stir a finger to help the
man you mean--the Duke Sergius.”
Her face was breaking into a smile, when she checked it, and I saw a
faint wave of colour rise to her cheek.
“What do you know of Duke Sergius?” she asked. Again a pause.
“Little or nothing, Madame; but I will not serve in any cause where his
interests are to be advanced.”
“Why do you not like him? You knew I was betrothed to him?”
She seemed suddenly bent on rousing my temper against the man.
“I had heard of it.”
“Yet, knowing it, you have not hitherto refused to help me!” Was she
playing on my passion, that she persisted in her questioning? “You must
have some reasons,” she continued, when I remained silent; “what are
they?” and to my astonishment the smile which she had before checked
now passed beyond control and lighted her face rarely.
“You must not press me for my reasons,” I said quickly; and the light
in her eyes may have reflected the thought behind it, for again the
colour mantled her cheeks.
“Then you will not help me?” she said in a low voice that witched me.
“You? With my life!”
The passion in my tone made her cast down her eyes, till, with a still
deeper colour on her face, she lifted them and said gently:
“Forgive me; I was but testing you. And if you blame me, think what
store I may set upon an assurance of fidelity that is purely personal
to me. Call it caprice if you will, a mere woman’s caprice, that I
should thus seek to probe your real thoughts and resolves.”
“There was no need to test me where you were concerned,” I replied;
and again the earnestness of my tone appeared to embarrass her. In the
short silence that followed I sat with but the loosest rein upon the
hopes and thoughts that were so much to me.
“No; the Duke Sergius does not come into the scheme as we plan it,” she
said; “and I thought indeed that what Mademoiselle Broumoff told you
would have made you understand this. I would do much for this country;
and if it were necessary that I should marry him--which, thank God, it
is not--I might force myself to go even to that extreme. But in my life
there can be no thought of marriage. I should be baser than the base
if, having taken this charge upon me, I should ever turn from it by any
thought of myself.”
She spoke in a tone of lofty exaltation, a strange contrast indeed to
what she had termed her “mere woman’s caprice;” and I held my peace.
“Our plan is this,” she resumed: “to use the Russian ladder, and then
kick it over. To make them pledge themselves before Europe to support
me on the throne, and then to use the power of the throne for rallying
the Bulgarians to defend themselves and their country against their
real enemies.”
“You have mapped out a dangerous counterplot, Princess; but I like it,
and if I can help, I will. How will you prevent the secret marriage?”
“We shall have to leave that to be disposed of when the time comes. As
you were warned, he is a man whose eyes we have ever to blind.”
“Are you sure of the people about you?”
“Of some--indeed, of many; but it is in that you can be of such help to
us. I have heard of the suggestions you made so guardedly, that your
house shall be the rendezvous of the movement to which those shall be
brought who are known to be true to the country, and can be trusted.
Such a meeting-place will be invaluable, especially where, as in your
case, there is a plausible excuse for any such gatherings.”
“You mean?”
“We propose to form a kind of gymnasium club--at least, propose
that you should form it among the young men of the city whom we can
ascertain to be faithful. Of these men you will necessarily become the
leader; so you see you will have an important part to play, my friend.”
“It is shrewd,” I said, perceiving at once its many possibilities, as
I recalled Zoiloff’s words. “But how far are your plans advanced? Time
presses.”
“Much farther advanced than you think. We have been working all the
time this Russian scheme has been in progress, so that we should be
ready when that reaches its climax. But matters will move faster now,
and in a few weeks all should be prepared. It is a strong point that
the very craft of General Kolfort itself has helped us. We have, as
it were, a free hand for making our preparations. He is as anxious as
we are that those Bulgarians who are opposed to the Prince, and would
help me, but fear Russia, should be secured to us; and this has given
us just the cover for our work that we needed. We shall triumph, Count,
for the cause of truth is ours, and Bulgaria shall be free;” and her
voice rang with earnestness.
I sat silent in thought for some moments.
“You have thought of the dangers to yourself?”
“I can but die, and where could one find a nobler end?” Her face shone
with the light of willing martyrdom.
“You think the General has no suspicion?”
“He cannot have as yet. There will come a moment when his eyes will
be opened, no doubt, and then the danger may be real enough. But I am
prepared to face anything for the cause.”
I thought of that moment, and my heart feared for her; but I knew of
the other danger from that wild woman, the Countess Bokara; and I must
put her on her guard.
“It is not of the dangers we must think, Count, but of the great end
to be achieved,” she added. “To dwell on nothing but risks may make
cowards of the bravest.”
[Illustration: “SHE TURNED SWIFTLY AND LOOKED AT ME.”--_Page 97._]
“True; but we must at all events give enough heed to the dangers to be
able to guard against them. Have you thought of the steps the Prince
and those about him might take against you?”
“You may have influence with her,” she answered, understanding me
readily. “And I have had a half hope that you may be able to make her
understand how hopeless are her efforts. Can you do this?”
“I am not hopeful. She is a woman of wild and vehement passions.”
“She is mad; she hates me so violently that if she dared she would
herself plunge a knife into my heart. She clings to the shadow of power
which she wields through the Prince with all the tenacity of ambition
venomed by malice. I know it, but I do not fear her,” she said proudly.
“She is the greatest enemy this country has, even in this hour when
its enemies throng every street, and are found in every house. Daring,
unscrupulous, reckless, and saturated with the lust of power, she would
use the Prince for the pursuit of her own ends, and those only, however
cleverly masked by a boasted love of the country.”
The Princess was a very woman after all, I saw, for it was easy to read
the personal dislike which breathed through her indignation.
“She may be very dangerous, Princess,” I said warningly.
She turned swiftly and looked at me, reading in my voice my genuine
alarm for her. After a moment, her face softened into a smile, and she
put her hand on my arm.
“You are warning me, I see, against something you know but cannot tell
me. I will not ask you. I will do more, for your sake, and to relieve
your fears on my account. I will be very cautious. You have a most
difficult part to fulfil at present; I understand that. But I will
guard against any such risks as you appear to contemplate. Your ready
zeal for the cause is very welcome to me, Count--more welcome, perhaps,
than I have been able to show you. For the sake of what you say, I will
be very cautious.”
Her eyes rested a moment on my face, holding me in a thraldom of silent
admiration. Then she added sweetly: “But you must not let your fears
for me print themselves so legibly on your face. We shall go forward
together in this matter to victory, my friend. That is the thought
to carry with you. Heaven will not suffer us to fail, let the risks
and difficulties be what they may. We are close comrades now; and I
feel that you have been sent just at the moment when such a man was
absolutely necessary. And when we have gained the victory, you will
play a large part in the far greater work that lies ahead. I have
unbounded faith in you.”
“I do not need the spur of ambition to serve you, Princess; but, by the
help of heaven, your faith in me shall never prove unfounded.” I spoke
with intense earnestness, and then rose to leave. She rose, too, and
gave me her hand, which I again carried to my lips; and it pleased me
to think that her fingers trembled as my lips touched them.
I had reached the door when she said suddenly:
“Oh, there is one thing which I have not mentioned. We have a kind of
watchword which you should know. Our friends are banded together ‘In
the Name of a Woman,’ Count.”
I started with a touch of alarm.
“But General Kolfort knows of that. It was with that formula I was
accosted by the messenger who led me to his house.”
“He chose it,” she answered, with a smile of reassurance. “It is
intended to mark off those who are for me as distinguished from those
solely devoted to Russia, the good men and true for whom he thinks I
can best act as his decoy.” I understood her. “You will not forget it
and all that it means, as I have explained to you to-day.”
“I am not likely to forget all that it means to me,” I said, and a
quick glow on her face made me think she understood me, too, and was
not displeased. With a little flush of pleasure I turned again to
leave, when the door was opened, and a servant announced the Duke
Sergius.
He came in hurriedly, with a look of vexation on his coarse, broad
face, which deepened instantly to anger as his eyes fell upon me.
“They told me you were engaged, Princess, as I see,” he said, with a
sneer at me; “but I had a matter of urgency to discuss with you, so I
bade your servants announce me.”
“Your urgency will cost my servants their places,” she answered, the
expression of her face hardening into cold austerity--so different from
anything I had seen during our interview.
“I did not think it could be anything very important,” he answered,
paying no heed to her words. “Who is this gentleman?” and he turned and
glowered at me.
Not only a bully, but a cad, was my thought, as I returned his look
with generous interest.
The Princess murmured our names formally and coldly.
“I have heard something of you, Count, from General Kolfort.” He spoke
as if it had been nothing to my good. “If I mistake not, I saw you at
the ball last night.”
“I was there,” I answered curtly.
“I want a word or two with you, sometime, and will wait upon you.” Had
I been a servant at whom he was flinging an order, he could not have
put more offensive patronage into his tone.
“If you will write your business I will see if I have time to give
you an appointment,” I answered with intentional brusqueness. He was
not accustomed to be addressed in such a tone, and he started and
flushed with anger. I took no notice, but with a bow to the Princess
I murmured, “I have the honour to wish you good day, Madame,” and,
ignoring the Duke entirely, I went away, leaving him staring angrily
after me.
“I hate the brute,” I said to myself as I went into the street; and in
truth I seemed to find a special cause of offence in the fact that I
had had to leave him alone with the Princess. “I wish to Heaven he’d
quarrel with me,” I muttered; and, indeed, the wish was to have a
fulfilment that at the moment I had no cause to anticipate or hope.