CHAPTER XVIII
CONFESSIONS AND CONCESSIONS
Beverly was speechless.
"Of course, your highness," said Baldos, deep apology in his voice,"Ravone is woefully misinformed. He is honest in his belief, and youshould not misjudge his motives. How he could have been so blind as toconfound you with that frisky American girl--but I beg your pardon. Sheis to be your guest. A thousand pardons, your highness."
She had been struck dumb by the wording of the note, but his apparentlysincere apology for his friend set her every emotion into play oncemore. While he was speaking, her wits were forming themselves forconflict. She opened the campaign with a bold attack. "You--you believeme to be the princess, sure 'nough, don't you?" But with all herbravery, she was not able to look him in the face.
"How can you doubt it, your highness? Would I be serving you in thepresent capacity if I believed you to be anyone else?"
"Ravone's warning has not shaken your faith in me?"
"It has strengthened it. Nothing could alter the facts in the case. Ihave not, since we left Ganlook, been in doubt as to the identity of mybenefactress."
"It seems to me that you are beating around the bush. I'll come straightto the point. How long have you known that I am not the princess ofGraustark?"
"What!" he exclaimed, drawing back in well-assumed horror. "Do youmean--are you jesting? I beg of you, do not jest. It is very seriouswith me." His alarm was so genuine that she was completely deceived.
"I am not jesting," she half whispered, turning very cold. "Have youthought all along that I am the princess--that I am Grenfall Lorry'swife?"
"You told me that you were the princess."
"But I've never said that I was--was anyone's wife."
There was a piteous appeal in her voice and he was not slow to notice itand rejoice. Then his heart smote him.
"But what is to become of me if you are not the princess?" he askedafter a long pause. "I can no longer serve you. This is my last day inthe castle guard."
"You are to go on serving me--I mean you are to retain your place in theservice," she hastened to say. "I shall keep my promise to you." Howsmall and humble she was beginning to feel. It did not seem soentertaining, after all, this pretty deception of hers. Down in hisheart, underneath the gallant exterior, what was his opinion of her?Something was stinging her eyes fiercely, and she closed them to keepback the tears of mortification.
"Miss Calhoun," he said, his manner changing swiftly, "I have felt fromthe first that you are not the princess of Graustark. I _knew_ itan hour after I entered Edelweiss. Franz gave me a note at Ganlook, butI did not read it until I was a member of the guard."
"You have known it so long?" she cried joyously. "And you have trustedme? You have not hated me for deceiving you?"
"I have never ceased to regard you as _my_ sovereign," he saidsoftly.
"But just a moment ago you spoke of me as a frisky American girl," shesaid resentfully.
"I have used that term but once, while I have said 'your highness' athousand times. Knowing that you were Miss Calhoun, I could not havemeant either."
"I fancy I have no right to criticise you," she humbly admitted. "Afterall, it does not surprise me that you were not deceived. Only animbecile could have been fooled all these weeks. Everyone said that youwere no fool. It seems ridiculous that it should have gone to thislength, doesn't it?"
"Not at all, your highness. I am not--"
"You have the habit, I see," she smiled.
"I have several months yet to serve as a member of the guard. Besides, Iam under orders to regard you as the princess. General Marlanx has givenme severe instructions in that respect."
"You are willing to play the game to the end?" she demanded, moregratified than she should have been.
"Assuredly, yes. It is the only safeguard I have. To alter my beliefpublicly would expose me to--to--"
"To what, Baldos?"
"To ridicule, for one thing, and to the generous mercies of CountMarlanx. Besides, it would deprive me of the privilege I mentioned amoment ago--the right to kiss your hand, to be your slave and to dohomage to the only sovereign I can recognize. Surely, you will notsubject me to exile from the only joys that life holds for me. You havesought to deceive me, and I have tried to deceive you. Each has foundthe other out, so we are quits. May we not now combine forces in thevery laudible effort to deceive the world? If the world doesn't knowthat we know, why, the comedy may be long drawn out and the climax bemade the more amusing."
"I'm afraid there was a touch of your old-time sarcasm in that remark,"she said. "Yes, I am willing to continue the comedy. It seems the safestway to protect you--especially from General Marlanx. No one must everknow, Baldos; it would be absolutely pitiful. I am glad, oh, so glad,that you have known all the time. It relieves my mind and my consciencetremendously."
"Yes," he said gently; "I have known all along that you were notMr. Lorry's wife." He had divined her thought and she flushedhotly. "You are still a princess, however. A poor goat-hunter can onlylook upon the rich American girl as a sovereign whom he must worshipfrom far below."
"Oh, I'm not so rich as all that," she cried. "Besides, I think it istime for a general clearing-up of the mysteries. Are you Prince Dantan,Prince Frederic, or that other one--Christobal somebody? Come, be fairwith me."
"It seems that all Edelweiss looks upon me as a prince in disguise. Youfound me in the hills--"
"No; you found me. I have not forgotten, sir."
"I was a vagabond and a fugitive. My friends are hunted as I am. We haveno home. Why everyone should suspect me of being a prince I cannotunderstand. Every roamer in the hills is not a prince. There is a priceupon my head, and there is a reward for the capture of every man who waswith me in the pass. My name is Paul Baldos, Miss Calhoun. There is nomystery in that. If you were to mention it in a certain city, you wouldquickly find that the name of Baldos is not unknown to the people whoare searching for him. No, your highness, I regret exceedingly that Imust destroy the absurd impression that I am of royal blood. Perhaps Iam spoiling a pretty romance, but it cannot be helped. I was Baldos, thegoat-hunter; I am now Baldos, the guard. Do you think that I would beserving as a Graustark guard if I were any one of the men you mention?"
Beverly listened in wonder and some disappointment, it must beconfessed. Somehow a spark of hope was being forever extinguished bythis straightforward denial. He was not to be the prince she had seen indreams. "You are not like anyone else," she said. "That is why wethought of you as--as--as--"
"As one of those unhappy creatures they call princes? Thank fortune,your highness, I am not yet reduced to such straits. My exile will comeonly when you send me away."
They were silent for a long time. Neither was thinking of the hour, orthe fact that her absence in the castle could not be unnoticed. Nighthad fallen heavily upon the earth. The two faithful chair-bearers,respectful but with wonder in their souls, stood afar off andwaited. Baldos and Beverly were alone in their own little world.
"I think I liked you better when you wore the red feather and thathorrid patch of black," she said musingly.
"And was a heart-free vagabond," he added, something imploring in hisvoice.
"An independent courtier, if you please, sir," she said severely.
"Do you want me to go back to the hills? I have the patch and thefeather, and my friends are--"
"No! Don't suggest such a thing--yet." She began the protest eagerly andended it in confusion.
"Alas, you mean that some day banishment is not unlikely?"
"You don't expect to be a guard all your life, do you?"
"Not to serve the princess of Graustark, I confess. My aim is muchhigher. If God lets me choose the crown I would serve, I shall enlistfor life. The crown I would serve is wrought of love, the throne I wouldkneel before is a heart, the sceptre I would follow is in the slenderhand of a woman. I could live and die in the service of my ownchoosing. But I am only the humble goat-hunter whose hopes are
phantoms,whose ideals are conceived in impotence."
"That was beautiful," murmured Beverly, looking up, fascinated for themoment.
"Oh, that I had the courage to enlist," he cried, bending low oncemore. She felt the danger in his voice, half tremulous with some thingmore than loyalty, and drew her hand away from a place of instantjeopardy. It was fire that she was playing with, she realized with astart of consciousness. Sweet as the spell had grown to be, she saw thatit must be shattered.
"It is getting frightfully late," she sharply exclaimed. "They'll wonderwhere I've gone to. Why, it's actually dark."
"It has been dark for half an hour, your highness," said he, drawinghimself up with sudden rigidness that distressed her. "Are you going toreturn to the castle?"
"Yes. They'll have out a searching party pretty soon if I don't appear."
"You have been good to me to-day," he said thoughtfully. "I shall try tomerit the kindness. Let me--"
"Oh, please don't talk in that humble way! It's ridiculous! I'd ratherhave you absolutely impertinent, I declare upon my honor I would. Don'tyou remember how you talked when you wore the red feather? Well, I likedit."
Baldos laughed easily, happily. His heart was not very humble, thoughhis voice and manner were.
"Red is the color of insolence, you mean."
"It's a good deal jauntier than blue," she declared.
"Before you call the bearers, Miss--your highness, I wish to retractsomething I said awhile ago," he said very seriously.
"I should think you would," she responded, utterly misinterpreting hisintent.
"You asked me to tell you what my message to Ravone contained and Irefused. Subsequently the extent of his message to me led us into a mostthorough understanding. It is only just and right that you should knowwhat I said to him."
"I trust you, Baldos," she protested simply.
"That is why I tell this to you. Yesterday, your highness, the castleguard received their month's pay. You may not know how well we are paid,so I will say that it is ten gavvos to each. The envelope which I gaveto Ravone contained my wages for the past six weeks. They need it farmore than I do. There was also a short note of good cheer to those poorcomrades of mine, and the assurance that one day our luck may change andstarvation be succeeded by plenty. And, still more, I told him that Iknew you to be Miss Calhoun and that you were my angel ofinspiration. That was all, your highness."
"Thank you, Baldos, for telling me," she said softly. "You have made meashamed of myself."
"On the contrary, I fear that I have been indulging in mockheroics. Truth and egotism--like a salad--require a certain amount ofdressing."
"Since you are Baldos, and not a fairy prince, I think you may instructthe men to carry me back, being without the magic tapestry which couldtransplant me in a whiff. Goodness, who's that?"
Within ten feet of the sedan chair and directly behind the tall guardstood a small group of people. He and Beverly, engrossed in each other,had not heard their approach. How long they had been silent spectatorsof the little scene only the intruders knew. The startled, abashed eyesof the girl in the chair were not long in distinguishing the newcomers.A pace in front of the others stood the gaunt, shadowy form of CountMarlanx.
Behind him were the Princess Yetive, the old prime minister, and BaronDangloss.
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