by Robert Barr
CHAPTER VI. JENNIE SOLVES THE DIAMOND MYSTERY.
Miss Baxter found life at the Schloss much different from what she hadexpected. The Princess was a young and charming lady, very handsome, butin a state of constant depression. Once or twice Miss Baxter came uponher with apparent traces of weeping on her face. The Prince was notan old man, as she had imagined, but young and of a manly, stalwartappearance. He evidently possessed a fiendish temper, and moped aboutthe castle with a constant frown upon his brow.
The correspondence of the Princess was in the utmost disorder. Therewere hundreds upon hundreds of letters, and Miss Baxter set to worktabulating and arranging them. Meanwhile the young newspaper woman kepther eyes open. She wandered about the castle unmolested, poked into oddcorners, talked with the servants, and, in fact, with everyone, butnever did she come upon a clue which promised to lead to a solution ofthe diamond difficulty. Once she penetrated into a turret room, andcame unexpectedly upon the Prince, who was sitting on the window-ledge,looking absently out on the broad and smiling valley that lay for milesbelow the castle. He sprang to his feet and stared so fiercely at theintruder that the girl's heart failed her, and she had not even thepresence of mind to turn and run.
"What do you want?" he said to her shortly, for he spoke Englishperfectly. "You are the young woman from Chicago, I suppose?"
"No," answered Miss Baxter, forgetting for the moment the _role_ she wasplaying; "I am from London."
"Well, it doesn't matter; you are the young woman who is arranging mywife's correspondence?"
"Yes." The Prince strode rapidly forward and grasped her by the wrist,his brow dark with a forbidding frown. He spoke in a hoarse whisper:
"Listen, my good girl! Do you want to get more money from me than youwill get from the Princess in ten years' service? Hearken, then, to whatI tell you. If there are any letters from--from--men, will you bringthem to me?"
Miss Baxter was thoroughly frightened, but she said to the Princesharply,--
"If you do not let go my wrist, I'll scream. How dare you lay your handon me?"
The Prince released her wrist and stepped back.
"Forgive me," he said; "I'm a very miserable man. Forget what I havesaid."
"How can I forget it?" cried the girl, gathering courage as she saw himquail before her blazing eyes. "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to bring to me any letters written by--by----"
"Written by von Schaumberg," cried the girl, noticing his hesitation andfilling in the blank.
A red wave of anger surged up in the Prince's face.
"Yes," he cried; "bring me a letter to her from von Schaumberg, and I'llpay you what you ask."
The girl laughed.
"Prince," she said, "you will excuse me if I call you a fool. There areno letters from von Schaumberg, and I have gone through the whole of thecorrespondence."
"What, then, suggested the name von Schaumberg to you? Where did youever hear it before?"
"I heard that you suspected him of stealing the diamonds."
"And so he did, the cowardly thief. If it were not for mixing thePrincess's name with such carrion as he, I would--"
But the Prince in his rage stamped up and down the room without sayingwhat he would do. Miss Baxter quickly brought him to a standstill.
"It is contrary to my duty to the Princess," she began, hesitatingly,when he stopped and turned fiercely upon her.
"What is contrary to your duty?"
"There are letters, tied very daintily with a blue ribbon, and they arefrom a man. The Princess did not allow me to read them, but locked themaway in a secret drawer in her dressing-room, but she is so carelesswith her keys and everything else, that I am sure I can get them foryou, if you want them."
"Yes, yes, I want them," said the Prince, "and will pay you handsomelyfor them."
"Very well," replied Miss Baxter, "you shall have them. If you will waithere ten minutes, I shall return with them."
"But," hesitated the Prince, "say nothing to the Princess."
"Oh, no, I shall not need to; the keys are sure to be on herdressing-table."
Miss Baxter ran down to the room of the Princess, and had littledifficulty in obtaining the keys. She unlocked the secret drawer intowhich she had seen the Princess place the packet of letters, and takingthem out, she drew another sheet of paper along with them, which sheread with wide-opening eyes, then with her pretty lips pursed, sheactually whistled, which unmaidenly performance merely gave sibilantexpression to her astonishment. Taking both the packet of letters andthe sheet of paper with her, she ran swiftly up the stair and along thecorridor to the room where the Prince was impatiently awaiting her.
"Give them to me," he snapped, rudely snatching the bundle of documentsfrom her hand. She still clung to the separate piece of paper and saidnothing. The Prince stood by the window and undid the packet withtrembling hands. He examined one and then another of the letters,turning at last towards the girl with renewed anger in his face.
"You are trifling with me, my girl," he cried.
"No, I am not," she said stoutly.
"These are my own letters, written by me to my wife before we weremarried!"
"Of course they are. What others did you expect? These are the onlyletters, so far as I have learned, that any man has written to her,and the only letters she cares for of all the thousands she has everreceived. Why, you foolish, blind man, I had not been in this castle aday before I saw how matters stood. The Princess is breaking her poorheart because you are unkind to her, and she cares for nobody on earthbut you, great stupid dunce that you are."
"Is it true? Will you swear it's true?" cried the Prince, dropping thepacket and going hastily toward the girl. Miss Jennie stood with herback to the wall, and putting her hands behind her, she said,--
"No, no; you are not going to touch me again. Of course it's true, andif you had the sense of a six-year-old child, you would have seen itlong ago; and she paid sixty thousand pounds of your gambling debts,too."
"What are you talking about? The Princess has never given me a penny ofher money; I don't need it. Goodness knows, I have money enough of myown."
"Well, Cadbury Taylor said that you--Oh, I'll warrant you, it is likeall the rest of his statements, pure moonshine."
"Of whom are you speaking? And why did my wife protect that wretch whomshe knows has stolen her diamonds?"
"You mean von Schaumberg?"
"Yes."
"I believe the Princess does think he stole them, and the reason thePrincess protects him is to prevent you from challenging him, for shefears that he, being a military man, will kill you, although I fancy shewould be well rid of you."
"But he stole the diamonds--there was nobody else."
"He did nothing of the kind. Read that!"
The Prince, bewildered, took the sheet that she handed to him and readit, a wrinkle of bewilderment corrugating his brow.
"I don't understand what this has to do with the case," he said at last."It seems to be an order on the bank at Vienna for the diamonds, writtenby the Princess herself."
"Of course it is. Well, if the diamonds had been delivered, that paperwould now be in the possession of the bank instead of in your hands."
"Perhaps she mislaid this order and wrote another."
"Perhaps. Still it might be worth while finding out."
"Take this, then, to the Princess and ask her."
"It is not likely she would remember. The better plan is to telegraph atonce to the Vienna bank, asking them to send the diamonds to Meran byspecial messenger. No one there knows that the diamonds are missing."
"I will do so at once," cried the Prince, with more animation in hisvoice than Miss Baxter had previously noticed. His Highness was becominginterested in the game.
After luncheon the Princess came to Miss Baxter, who was seated at herdesk, and handed her a letter.
"There is an invitation from the Duchess of Chiselhurst for a grand ballshe is shortly to give in her Lon
don house. It is to be a very swellaffair, but I don't care enough for such things to go all the way toEngland to enjoy them. Would you therefore send her Grace my regrets?"
"I will do so at once."
At that moment there came a messenger from the Prince asking Miss Baxterto meet him in the library. The girl glanced up at the Princess.
"Have I your permission to go?" she said.
The Princess looked at her steadily for a moment, just the faintestsuspicion of a frown on her fair brow.
"I do not suppose you need my permission." Her Highness spoke with slowdeliberation. "My husband condescends to take considerable interest inyou. Passing along the corridor this morning, I heard your voices inmost animated conversation."
"Had you sufficient interest in our discussion to stop and listen towhat we said, Princess von Steinheimer?"
"Ah, now you are becoming insolent, and I must ask you to consider yourengagement with me at an end."
"Surely you will not dismiss me in this heartless way, Princess. I thinkI am entitled to a month's notice, or is it only a week's?"
"I will pay you a year's salary, or two years' if that will content you.I have no wish to deal harshly with you, but I desire you to leave atonce," said the Princess, who had little sense of humour, and thusthought the girl was in earnest when she asked for notice.
Miss Baxter laughed merrily, and replied when she was able to controlher mirth, "I do hate to leave the castle just when things are becominginteresting. Still, I don't suppose I shall really need to go away inspite of your dismissal, for the Prince this morning offered me tentimes the amount of money you are paying."
"Did he?"
"Be assured he did; if you don't believe me, ask him. I told him he wasa fool, but, alas, we live in a cynical age, and few men believe allthey hear, so I fear my expression of opinion made little impression onhim."
"I shall not keep you longer from his Highness," said the Princess withfreezing dignity.
"Thank you so much. I am just dying to meet him, for I know he hassomething most interesting to tell me. Don't you think yourself,Princess, that a man acts rather like a fool when he is deeply in love?"
To this there was no reply, and the Princess left the room.
Miss Jennie jumped to her feet and almost ran to the library. She foundthe Prince walking up and down the long room with a telegraph message inhis hand. "You are a most wonderful young woman," he said; "read that."
"I have been told so by more observing men than you, Prince vonSteinheimer," said the girl, taking the telegram. It was from themanager of the bank in Vienna, and it ran: "Special messenger leaveswith package by the Meran express to-night."
"Just as I thought," said Miss Jennie; "the diamonds never left thebank. I suppose those idiots of servants which the Princess has roundher didn't know what they took away from Vienna and what they left.Then, when the diamonds were missing, they completely lost theirheads--not that anyone in the castle has much wit to spare. I never sawsuch an incompetent lot."
The Prince laughed.
"You think, perhaps, I have not wit enough to see that my wife cares forme, is that it? Is that why you gave me my own letters?"
"Oh, you are well mated! The Princess now does me the honour of beingjealous. Think of that! As if it were possible that I should take anyinterest in you, for I have seen real men in my time."
The Prince regarded her with his most severe expression.
"Are you not flattering yourself somewhat, young lady?"
"Oh, dear no! I take it as the reverse of flattering to be supposed thatI have any liking for such a ninny as you are. Flattering, indeed! Andshe has haughtily dismissed me, if you please."
"The Princess has? What have you been saying to her?"
"Oh, I made the most innocent remark, and it was the truth too, whichshows that honesty is not always the best policy. I merely told her thatyou had offered me ten times the amount of money she is paying me. Youneedn't jump as if somebody had shot off a gun at your ear. You know youdid make such an offer."
"You confounded little mischief-maker," cried the Prince in anger. "Didyou tell her what it was for?"
"No. She did not ask."
"I will thank you to apply the cleverness you seem to possess to theundoing of the harm you have so light-heartedly caused."
"How can I? I am ordered to leave to-night, when I did _so_ wish to stayand see the diamond _denouement_."
"You are not going to-night. I shall speak to the Princess about it ifthat should be necessary. Your mention of the diamonds reminds me thatmy respected father-in-law, Mr. Briggs, informs me that a celebrateddetective, whom it seems he has engaged--Taylor, I think the nameis--will be here to-morrow to explain the diamond mystery, so you seeyou have a competitor."
"Oh, is Cadbury coming? That is too jolly for anything. I simply _must_stay and hear his explanation, for he is a very famous detective, andthe conclusions he has arrived at must be most interesting."
"I think some explanations are due to me as well. My worthyfather-in-law seems to have commissioned this person without thinking itnecessary to consult me in the least; in fact, Mr. Briggs goes about thecastle looking so dark and lowering when he meets me, that I sometimesdoubt whether this is my own house or not."
"And is it?"
"Is it what?"
"Is it your own house? I was told it was mortgaged up to the tallestturret. Still, you can't blame Mr. Briggs for being anxious about thediamonds; they belong to his daughter."
"They belong to my wife."
"True. That complicates matters a bit, and gives both Chicago and Viennaa right to look black. And now, your Highness, I must take my leave ofyou; and if the diamonds come safely in the morning, remember I intendto claim salvage on them. Meanwhile, I am going to write a nice littlestory about them."
In the morning the diamonds arrived by special messenger, who firsttook a formal receipt for them, and then most obsequiously took hisdeparture. By the same train came Mr. Cadbury Taylor, as modest as ever,but giving some indication in his bearing of the importance of thediscovery his wonderful system had aided him in making. He blandlyevaded the curiosity of Mr. Briggs, and said it would perhaps be betterto reveal the secret in the presence of the Prince and Princess, as hisinvestigations had led him to conclusions that might be unpleasant forone of them to hear, yet were not to be divulged in their absence.
"Just what I suspected," muttered Mr. Briggs, who had long beenconvinced that the Prince was the actual culprit.
The important gathering took place in the library, the Prince, with thediamonds in his coat pocket, seated at the head of the long table, whilethe Princess sat at the foot, as far from her husband as she couldconveniently get without attracting notice. Miss Baxter stood near awindow, reading an important letter from London which had reached herthat morning. The tall, thin detective and the portly Mr. Briggs came intogether, the London man bowing gravely to the Prince and Princess. Mr.Briggs took a seat at the side of the table, but the detective remainedstanding, looking questioningly at Miss Baxter, but evidently notrecognizing her as the lady who had come in upon him and his friend whenthey had entered the train.
"I beg the pardon of your Highness, but what I have to say had better besaid with as few hearers as possible. I should be much obliged if thisyoung person would read her correspondence in another room."
"The young woman," said the Prince coldly, "is secretary to herHighness, and is entirely in her confidence."
The Princess said nothing, but sat with her eyes upon the table,apparently taking no note of what was going on. Rich colour came intoher face, and, as the keen detective cast a swift glance at her, he sawbefore him a woman conscious of her guilt, fearing exposure, yet notknowing how to avert it.
"If your Highness will excuse my persistence," began Mr. Taylor blandly.
"But I will not," interrupted the Prince gruffly. "Go on with your storywithout so much circumlocution."
The detective, apparently unruffled by
the discourtesy he met, bowedprofoundly towards the Prince, cleared his throat, and began.
"May I ask your Highness," he said, addressing himself to the Princess,"how much money you possessed just before you left Vienna?"
The lady looked up at him in surprise, but did not answer.
"In Heaven's name, what has that to do with the loss of the diamonds?"rapped out the Prince, his hot temper getting once more the better ofhim. Cadbury Taylor spread out his hands and shrugged his shoulders inprotest at the interruption. He spoke with deference, but neverthelessthere was a touch of reproach in his tone.
"I am accustomed to being listened to with patience, and am generallyallowed to tell my story my own way, your Highness."
"What I complain of is that you are not telling any story at all, butare asking instead a very impertinent question."
"Questions which seem to you irrelevant may be to a trained mind most--"
"Bosh! Trained donkeys! Do you know where the diamonds are?"
"Yes, I do," answered Cadbury Taylor, still imperturbable, in spite ofthe provocation he was receiving.
"Well, where are they?"
"They are in the vaults of your bank in Vienna."
"I don't believe it. Who stole them then?"
"They were put there by her Highness the Princess von Steinheimer,doubtless in security for money--"
"What!" roared the Prince, springing to his feet, his stentorian voiceringing to the ceiling. "Do you mean to insinuate, you villain, that mywife stole her own diamonds?"
"If your Highness would allow me to proceed in my own--"
"Enough of this fooling. There are the diamonds," cried the Prince,jerking the box from his pocket and flinging it on the table.
"There!" shouted old man Briggs, bringing his clenched fist down on theoak. "What did I tell you? I knew it all along. The Prince stole thediamonds, and in his excitement yanks them out of his pocket and provesit. That was _my_ opinion all along!"
"Oh, father, father!" moaned the Princess, speaking for the first time."How can you say such a thing? My husband couldn't do a mean action ifhe tried. The idea of him stealing the diamonds! Not if they were wortha thousand millions and detection impossible."
The Prince, who had been glaring at Mr. Briggs, and who seemed on thepoint of giving that red-faced gentleman a bit of his mind, turned asoftened gaze upon his wife, who rested her arms on the table and buriedher face in them.
"Come, come," cried Miss Jennie Baxter, stepping energetically forward;"I imagine everybody has had enough of this. Clear out, Mr. Briggs, andtake Mr. Taylor with you; I am sure he has not had any breakfast yet,and he certainly looks hungry. If you hire detectives, Mr. Briggs, youmust take care of them. Out you go. The dining-room is ever so much moreinviting just now than the library; and if you don't see what you want,ring for it."
She drove the two speechless men out before her, and, closing the door,said to the Prince, who was still standing bewildered at having his handforced in this manner,--
"There! Two fools from four leaves two. Now, my dears--I'm not going toHighness either of you--you are simply two lone people who likeeach other immensely, yet who are drifting apart through foolishmisunderstandings that a few words would put right if either of you hadsense enough to speak them, which you haven't, and that's why I'm hereto speak them for you. Now, madame, I am ready to swear that the Princehas never said anything to me that did not show his deep love for you,and if you had overheard us, you would not need me to tell you so. Hethinks that you have a fancy for that idiot von Schaumberg--not that Iever saw the poor man; but he is bound to be an idiot, or the Princewouldn't be jealous of him. As nobody has stolen the diamonds after allthis fuss, so no one has stolen the affection of either of you from theother. I can see by the way you look at each other that I won't need toapologize for leaving you alone together while I run upstairs to pack."
"Oh, but you are not going to leave us?" cried the Princess.
"I should be delighted to stay; but there is no rest for the wicked, andI must get back to London."
With that the girl ran to her room and there re-read the letter she hadreceived.
"Dear Miss Baxter (it ran),--We are in a very considerable dilemma here,so I write asking you to see me in London without delay, going back tothe Tyrol later on if the investigation of the diamond mystery rendersyour return necessary. The Duchess of Chiselhurst is giving a great ballon the 29th. It is to be a very swagger affair, with notables from everypart of Europe, and they seem determined that no one connected with anewspaper shall be admitted. We have set at work every influence toobtain an invitation for a reporter, but without success, the replyinvariably given being that an official account will be sent tothe press. Now, I want you to set your ingenuity at work, and gainadmittance if possible, for I am determined to have an account of thisball written in such a way that everyone who reads it will know that thewriter was present. If you can manage this, I can hardly tell you howgrateful the proprietor and myself will be.--Yours very truly,
"RADNOR HARDWICK."
Miss Jennie Baxter sat for some moments musing, with the letter in herhand. She conned over in her mind the names of those who might be ableto assist her in this task, but she dismissed them one by one, wellknowing that if Mr. Hardwick and the proprietor of the _Bugle_ hadpetitioned all their influential friends without avail, she could nothope to succeed with the help of the very few important personages shewas acquainted with. She wondered if the Princess could get her aninvitation; then suddenly her eyes lit up, and she sprang eagerly to herfeet.
"What a fortunate thing it is," she cried aloud, "that I did not sendon the refusal of the Princess to the Duchess of Chiselhurst. I hadforgotten all about it until this moment."