The Weight of the Crown

by Fred M. White

  CHAPTER XXXIII

  THE FISH ON THE LINE

  A gleam of admiration flashed into the eyes of the queen. Here was a manafter her own heart. And Lechmere had done marvellously well. True, hecould not stamp out the lie, he could not prevent the thing beingreported from one end of Europe to another, but he could refute it. Themere fact that King Erno had started for Asturia would naturally createa great impression.

  "It shall be done," the queen cried. "I will go back to Merehaven Houseand fetch the king. He shall travel without delay under the care ofCaptain Alexis. I would that I had another trusty friend to accompanyhim, but it seems to me that I need you all in London.

  "You do not need me, madame," said Maxwell earnestly. "I mean you don'tneed me _here_. For the moment the good friends you have here willsuffice. It is necessary that I should be out of the way for a time, andnobody would guess where I have gone. Let me go to Asturia."

  The queen thanked Maxwell with a look of gratitude from her dark eyes.Then she turned to Lechmere. "How can all this travelling machinery beput in motion so quickly?" she asked.

  "Fortunately you have come to the right quarter for information,"Lechmere said. "As an old queen's messenger, there are few services forgetting over the ground that I do not know. Before now I have beendespatched at a minute's notice to the other end of Europe withinstructions to reach my destination in a given time. In an hour or so,the programme will be complete. I will see to the special train to Doverand the special steamer to cross the Channel. After that it is a merematter of using the cables. If the king does not care to undertake thejourney----"

  The queen laughed in a strange metallic fashion. Her eyes were gleamingwith intensity of purpose.

  "The king is going," she said between her teeth. "You may be quite sureabout that. If he declines, or shews the least infirmity of purpose, hewill be drugged and taken home that way. He will shew himself in thecapital. A manifesto will be issued directly he gets there. There is onething yet to be done."

  The queen paused and looked significantly at Lechmere. He smiled andshook his head.

  "I know exactly what your majesty means," he said. "It is useless for usto take all this trouble if we are to be confronted with a mystery whichwill enable certain people to say that the King of Asturia is still inLondon. I have taken a step to entirely obviate that business. If yourmajesty has a few minutes to spare I shall be able to render your mindeasy on that score."

  The queen expressed her willingness to stay, and Lechmere left the room.He paused to light a cigar in the corridor and don his overcoat again.Then he walked casually to the outer door of the next suite of rooms andstrolled calmly in. The second door of the suite was locked and Lechmeregently tried the handle.

  "So far so good," he muttered. "There is another door into the corridorleading to the back stairs. I need not worry about the back stairs as myferret is there. If the thing were not so serious, what a fine comedy itwould make! Now for it!"

  Lechmere tapped smartly on the door, a murmur of voices within ceasedand the door was opened and shewed the face of Prince Mazaroff himself.He turned a little pale as he saw Lechmere and stammeringly asked whatthe latter wanted. Lechmere laughed in an irritating kind of way.

  "Well, that's pretty cool," he said. "I come to the suite of rooms of myfriend Bevis to smoke a cigar and I find you here demanding why I come.Is Bevis here?"

  "No, he isn't," Mazaroff said curtly as he came into the front room andclosed the door behind him. "And, what is more, he is not likely to bein. I have a friend in there if you must know."

  Mazaroff grinned with an assumption that Lechmere could understand thatthe situation was rather a delicate one. But Lechmere knew better thanthat for the voice in the inner room had been unmistakably that of aman. But it served the purpose of the old diplomat to let the thingpass.

  "Very well," he said. "I will take your word for it. But where is myfriend Bevis?"

  "I haven't the remotest idea where your friend Bevis is or where he hasgot to," Mazaroff said with a sneer in his voice. "Bevis is a young manwho has lately outrun the constable. He inferred to me that he was goingto retire to the country for a time. He offered me this little place onmy own terms and I am to give it back to our friend if I get tired ofit. It is a more swagger _pied a terre_ than my own and I jumped at thechance. Now you know everything."

  Lechmere nodded as if perfectly satisfied, though he did not knoweverything by any means. He sat down and helped himself to a cigaretteto Mazaroff's annoyance. But Lechmere appeared not to see it. He had hisown game to play and he was not to be deterred.

  "I want to have a little chat with you," he said. "We shall never get abetter chance than this. I want if possible to enlist your sympathies onthe side of the Queen of Asturia. If I could gain your assistance andthat of Madame Saens I should be more than satisfied."

  Mazaroff muttered something to the effect that he should be delighted.But his aspect was uneasy and guilty. He could not shake off his air offear. From time to time he cocked his ears as if listening for somethingin the inner room. Lechmere sat there grimly smoking and looking at theceiling. He was not quite sure what card he should play next.

  "I am thinking of going to Asturia myself," he said. "I'm not quite oldenough to get rusty yet. And there is a fine field for intrigue andadventure yonder. I understand that the king returns to-morrow. It willbe in all the papers in the morning."

  "The deuce it will!" Mazaroff exclaimed blankly. "Why that will upsetall our plans----I mean, that it will be a checkmate to Russia.Considering all that we have done ... is that a fact, Lechmere?"

  "My dear chap, surely I have no object in telling you what is false!"Lechmere said. "Of course it is a fact. The king ought never to havecome away, he would not have come away if the queen could have trustedhim. She thought that she could do her country good by visiting London.But the king will be looked after much better in future, I promise you.Have you seen Peretori lately?"

  The latter question was shot dexterously at Mazaroff like a snap from agun. The latter glanced swiftly at Lechmere, but he could make nothingof the other's inscrutable face. The Russian began to feel as if he hadblundered into a trap; he had the same fear as a lying witness in thebox under the horror of a rasping cross-examination from a sharpbarrister.

  "I don't know that I am acquainted with the man you mention?" hefaltered.

  "Oh, nonsense. Take your memory back, man. Not know Peretori! Think ofthat night five years ago in Paris when you and I and Scandel and therest were supping with those Oderon people. And you say that the name ofPeretori is not known to you!"

  Mazaroff laughed in a sulky kind of way. He said something to the effectthat his memory was not as good as it might be. From time to time heglanced at the inner door of the suite, he seemed as if he could notkeep his eyes off it.

  "Do you think that you could find his address for me?" Lechmerepersisted. "I have every reason to believe that he is somewhere inLondon at the present moment. Ah, look there. To think of it! And youpretending all this when the very man in question is in the next room.What a coincidence!"

  "Call me a liar at once," Mazaroff said thickly "How dare you insinuatethat I am not--not----"

  "Telling the truth," Lechmere said coolly. "That stick yonder belongs toPeretori. Nobody else possesses one like it, as I have heard Peretoriboast. If you can deny what I say after--but I shall make no apologiesfor seeing into the matter for myself."

  With a sudden dart Lechmere was by the door leading into the inner room.Mazaroff started after him crying out something in Russian at the top ofhis voice. But he was too late to prevent Lechmere from entering theinner room. The place was quite empty now save for a hat and a pair ofgloves on the table, both of which tended to prove that the room hadbeen occupied a few moments before.

  "This is a most unpardonable outrage," Mazaroff cried. He had quiterecovered himself within the last minute or two, he was his cunning selfagain. "I did not ask you to come here at all. And as to the e
vidence ofthat stick it is worth nothing. I could get a copy of it made that--butafter what has happened I think you had better give me the benefit ofyour absence."

  "Quite so," Lechmere said pleasantly, "I apologise. I'll go out thisway, I think. Awfully sorry to have ruffled you so much. Good-night."

  Lechmere departed into the corridor by the far door, which he closedswiftly behind him. As he did so there came a sound of stumbling andfalling from the region of the back stairs and curses in a ruffled voicethat had a note of pain in it.

  "Got him," Lechmere said triumphantly. "I was certain of my man. Now forit!"