"It may be only calf-love, but I don't think so, yet I have only seen
her once. I don't even know her name, but the moment I saw her I knew
that I loved her."
"Tell me about it," he said.
I had half feared that he would laugh at me, but he only looked rather
sad and decidedly sympathetic. So emboldened, I blurted out in a shamed
way the story of my meeting with the girl.
He listened in silence until I had finished, then he held out his hand
to me.
"My boy," he said, "a very similar thing happened to me when I was about
your age. I thought that I had lost all interest in life when she
married some one else; unluckily, I had nothing in my life to fill the
gap; I let myself become a mere machine in my work. I was morose,
refusing to look for help to the quarter from which real assistance can
come; I mean from God. And then one day, when I was thinking of all my
misery, the thought flashed over me that perhaps it was a trial, perhaps
I was being tested; and that idea won the day. I believed then, as I do
now, that, no matter what trials come to us, there is thought and
purpose behind them.
"Our finite minds cannot hope to understand the workings of an infinite
one, so my advice to you is this: do with all your might those things
that you think it your duty to do, and leave the results to God. Man
cannot be infallible. You will make mistakes; profit by them; try to
forget your own sorrows in healing those of your country.
"In time you will be able to look at everything with a fresh sense of
perspective.
"Love, if it should come to you with your marriage, will, I daresay, be
of inestimable value to you. What you feel now may be more the feelings
of sexual attraction than the fuller love of comradeship and mental
sympathy; love does enter Royal marriages, in spite of the cynics."
"I will try to think as you suggest," I said. "But there are other
things of which I wish to talk to you. To begin with, will you come
with me to Rudarlia, will you continue to be my friend and adviser as
you have been up to now? I know that once I am on the throne I shall
always have to have Rudarlians about me; but my own private friends they
cannot object to. As my private secretary, you will always be near me
to help and advise. Will you come?"
"It may cause jealousy."
"I can't help it if it does. After Ivan and his many mistresses, they
will have to allow me one man friend; and I believe they will be pleased
to."
"Then I will come."
"Now one thing more, will you stay here and look after my mother until
she can come to Rudarlia?"
"Of course I will, if she wishes it."
We sat up until three in the morning discussing ways and means; but made
no attempt to listen to more than a bare outline of what Mr. Smith had
arranged. It would all have to come out gradually, in time I should no
doubt learn how he had worked so successfully; he stuck to the principal
things and nothing could side-track him. I slept for two hours, and
then went to see Bauen.
It was a great day for him; he was to come to Karena with us. He had
been looking forward for twenty years to seeing me upon my throne.
I believe that his soul was wrapped up in one idea, that of doing his
duty to my family. I doubt if any man, noble or commoner, had ever
served a Royal family with such self-sacrifice and devotion.
He had given his wife and only child, to save my mother and myself; and
had exiled himself for twenty years from friends and country, to
continue in our service. God bless him.
We, that is Mr. Smith and I, spent the day with my solicitor, attending
to some of the business entailed by my inheritance. Then, in the
evening, we embarked on the journey which would bring either a crown or
death to me.
I say "death" advisedly; for, should anything have gone wrong with Mr.
Smith's plans, it was hardly likely that Alexis and his followers would
allow me to live.
I am glad to be able to feel that the thought of danger rather pleased
me than otherwise.
We had cabled to Carruthers to meet us at Ruln, a frontier post, much
farther south than Melanov.
We did not waste a moment of the time our journey consumed. Mr. Smith
was instructing me in the education of a King.
At Ruln we had two hours to wait, according to the time-table; but, by
lavish bribery, Mr. Smith secured a special to take us as far as the
junction, at Katalona.
Leaving Bauen in charge of the luggage--which was light--we went in
search of Carruthers.
We found him seated upon a bench, the picture of glumness.
"Hullo, Splosh!" he cried, his face lighting up at sight of us. "What a
forsaken place this is. I've been here five hours, and only spoken to
one man, who thinks he came from 'the thigh of Jupiter,' to judge by his
side. Look, there he is."
A dissipated looking young man, of about my own age, had slouched out on
to the platform, followed by a couple of older men, both of whom were
muffled up in overcoats, in spite of the fact that it was a warm
evening.
I heard Mr. Smith draw in a hissing breath, and turned to where he had
been standing.
"Hist! don't look my way, I am just in the doorway to your left; walk
towards me, and stop opposite. I don't wish to be seen--that is Prince
Alexis."
"Who?" asked Carruthers.
"An enemy, old man, you shall know everything in a little while."
I looked with interest at my rival, though I took good care not to allow
him to see it.
If ever a man of his age had vice written clearly upon his face, he had;
and I thought to myself that it would go even worse with Rudarlia under
his rule than under Ivan's, should he ever come to the throne. There was
cruelty, craftiness, and gross sensuality in his countenance.
Luckily, after walking up and down the platform two or three times, in
close conversation with his companions, he disappeared once more into
the miserable room. As he did so, an official approached and, with many
bows, informed us that our special was waiting, a few yards down the
track, with our baggage on board.
Mr. Smith kept his face turned away, as we passed the window of the room
where Alexis was sitting. In ten minutes, we were a mile or more away
from Ruln.
The pace at which we were travelling caused the single coach to rock and
rattle horribly; so much so, that it was necessary for Carruthers to sit
very close to me to hear what I said, as I had to speak in a low tone.
He was amazed and delighted that, as he expressed it, his old Splosh was
going to be a King.
Then the silly fellow insisted upon kissing my hand and generally
playing the fool; I think he did it to keep my spirits up.
Mr. Smith looked on with a grim smile. I fancy he thought that stern
realities would come soon enough.
There was a basket of provisions in the carriage; and, when we had
finished our meal, he advised me to try to sleep. I took his advice,
and slept like a log until he awoke me with the news that we were just
getting into Katalona.
Two soldiers were lounging upon the platform as we alighted. I noticed
that they saluted as we passed them, and then followed us at a little
distance.
In less than an hour the car in which we had driven from the junction
pulled up at Mr. Smith's house.
The driver followed us in.
Without speaking, Mr. Smith led the way into a room fitted up as a
library; it was still dark, so he switched on the electric light. At
the same moment, three other men entered the room. Bauen had come in
with us.
He assisted me to remove my covert-coat; then, bowing deeply, stood
back.
Mr. Smith advanced a step towards me.
"Your Majesty," he said, "would you remove your coat, and show your
right arm to these gentlemen?"
Without a word I did so.
Just above my elbow, I have three small red marks. They are triangular
in shape; birthmarks, I think they are called.
The three men came nearer, and I held out my arm for their inspection.
The first to examine it was a white-haired old man, who trembled
violently as he bent over. He seized my hand and kissed it.
"God bless your Majesty."
The other two did the same.
"Count Belen and Count von Maark will be here to-day, if further
testimony is needed; we have here, as well, Bauen, the groom," said Mr.
Smith.
"No further identification is necessary," declared the old man, and
bowing the three withdrew.
Mr. Smith had prepared me for this, so I was not surprised, but I did
not know who these three men were, and asked him.
"The white-haired one was the doctor who attended your Majesty's mother,
at the time of your birth; the other two are Prince von Venoff and Baron
von Casile."
He bowed as he spoke. I glanced round, as I was surprised at his
ceremonious behaviour: the driver of the car was still in the room.
"Surely, Count," I said, "there is some one here whom I should know?"
And I smiled towards the man.
"May I present, to your Majesty, Colonel Woolgast, who commands the
body-guard?"
The Colonel bent to kiss my hand, but I prevented him; seized his
instead, and shook it.
"Until I am King," I said, "I will shake your hand and call you
'Colonel'; when I am King, you shall kiss my hand, but I will call you
'General.'"
He became red with pleasure; and, by the twinkle in Mr. Smith's eye, I
knew that I had done right to make a friend of this man.
Colonel Woolgast having left the room, I turned to Mr. Smith.
"Have you done anything about Prince Alexis?" I asked.
"I am sending a man to watch him. Woolgast will see to it that he does
not enter the Royal apartments. In a little time you will have to
receive a great number of people; I will be by your side to tell you
what I can of them, to give you a better idea of what to say. All are
devoted to Rudarlia. I am glad you said what you did to Woolgast, he is
not titled, you know, and some rather snub him on that account; but he
is a good man, loyal to a degree to his country."
"Are there any members of the government?"
"Not one; they cannot be trusted, all being Ivan's parasites."
"How will that affect our plans, surely the Minister of War will have
something to say?"
"He is the worst hated man among them, the soldiers execrate him."
"H'm! I shall look to you for a New Cabinet."
"Your Majesty will need one, as all the present members will be in our
power by to-night, I trust. General von Vorkovitch will give orders to
the troops for that."
"How is it that he has not been retired by Ivan?"
"Even Ivan did not dare to touch the man who won the battle of Vortz.
He has been the idol of the country for years, but had no chance of
doing anything to retrieve matters."
"Jealousy?" I asked.
"Chiefly, there was no one to be the head, that was why we had to wait
until you came to an age fit for it."
We had no time for more conversation, as the sound of motors approaching
warned us that people were arriving to pay me homage.
I stood at one end of the room--which was very large--and waited. Mr.
Smith was at my right, a little behind me; Carruthers and Bauen behind
him again. My ordeal began.
The first few to arrive were soldiers, officers commanding regiments now
in Karena.
These I thanked for their loyalty, and asked a few questions about their
commands.
They looked at me with well-bred curiosity. At my request, Carruthers
was made known to them by Mr. Smith, and he stood chatting with them
while I devoted myself to the ever-flowing tide of fresh arrivals.
They were not all men, some dozen ladies being among them. One of
these, a grand old lady with snow-white hair, had been a friend of my
mother's. So Mr. Smith whispered as she came towards me.
I kissed her hand and asked her to extend her friendship to me for my
mother's sake.
"Your Majesty should have more self-confidence," she replied.
And when I laughingly hinted that she should teach me, she laughed in
reply and told me that, had she been forty years younger, she would have
been charmed.
I assured her, with an air of astonishment, that I thought babies were
useful to teach patience only.
This pleased her mightily, for she remarked that her sex would be no
better off by my replacing Ivan, for whilst he ruled women with writing,
I should do it with speaking.
This delicately veiled gibe at Ivan, for his predilection for paying
vast sums of money to his mistresses by cheque, pleased those who heard
it tremendously.
"Prince Kleber, he prides himself on his fencing," this from Mr. Smith.