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The Traitors

by E. Phillips Oppenheim · English · Gutenberg #29162 · 469,405 chars · public domain (US)

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Title: The Traitors

Author: E. Phillips Oppenheim


        
Release date: June 19, 2009 [eBook #29162]

Language: English

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THE TRAITORS

by

E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM

Author of
"A Millionaire of Yesterday," "The
World's Great Snare," etc.

Illustrated







New York
Dodd, Mead & Company
1903

Copyright, 1902
By E. Phillips Oppenheim

Copyright, 1903
By Dodd, Mead & Company

First Edition published March, 1903




[Illustration: "MARIE ... SHOT THE MAN THROUGH THE HEART."]




ILLUSTRATIONS


                                                            PAGE

 "MARIE ... SHOT THE MAN THROUGH
 THE HEART,"                                      _Frontispiece_

 "'I BELIEVE,' HE SAID, 'THAT YOU OUGHT
 TO KISS--MY HAND,'"                                         160

 "NICHOLAS OF REIST STOOD ON THE
 THRESHOLD,"                                                 220

 "'THE WAR IS OVER,' HE CRIED,"                              342




The Traitors




CHAPTER I


"Down with the traitors! Down with the Russian spies! Down with
Metzger!"

Above the roaring of the north wind rose the clamour of voices, the
cries of hate and disgust, the deep groaning sobs of fierce and
militant anger. The man and the woman exchanged quick glances.

"They are coming nearer," he said.

She drew aside the heavy curtain, and stood there, looking out into
the night.

"It is so," she answered. "They are pouring into the square."

He rose and stood beneath the great carved mantelpiece. Over his head,
hewn out of the solid oak, black with age and coloured with that deep
richness which is to-day as a lost art, were blazoned the arms of one
of Europe's noblest families. He, Nicholas of Reist, its sole male
representative, stood deep in thought, his dark young face furrowed
with anxiety. The moment was critical. It was one of a lifetime.

She dropped the curtain and came over to his side. The flush of
excitement was in her cheeks. Her eyes were like shining stars. Of
their close relationship there could be no manner of doubt. The same
oval face and finely-cut features, the same pride of race, the same
firm, graceful bearing. Only there were lines upon his face--the lines
of thought and care; whilst hers remained as smooth as damask,
typically and wonderfully beautiful.

Again the murmur of hoarse voices--nearer now and more clamorous.

"Down with the traitor Metzger and his accursed government! Reist!
Reist! A Reist!"

Her white fingers fell upon his shoulder.

"They are calling for you, Nicholas," she said, softly. "Listen! It is
the voice of our people, and they need you. Will you go out and speak
to them? Shall I open the window--yes?"

"Not yet," he answered, swiftly. "Not yet."

Her hands were already upon the curtains. She turned around, an
impatient frown upon her face.

"You do not hesitate, my brother," she cried. "No, it is not possible.
It is our country, Nicholas, our homeland which calls for you to save
it."

"Ay, to save it--but how? Metzger has made the way difficult."

Her eyes flashed fire upon him. She was superbly disdainful.

"Are you the first Duke of Reist who has governed Theos?" she cried.
"Is there not the blood of former Kings in your veins? Holy Mother,
but it is intolerable that you should hesitate! Nicholas, if you let
these people call in vain you will be the first of our race who has
ever shrunk from his duty. I will not call you any longer my brother.
Listen!"

"Reist! Nicholas of Reist! Down with the common dogs. Down with the
traitors. Down with Metzger!"

He smiled faintly. Those subtle lines about his mouth were not there
in vain.

"I wonder where Metzger is hiding," he murmured. "How good it would be
to see him now. How he would quiver and shake. There is death in those
voices."

She flashed a look of impatient scorn upon him.

"You are trifling with your destiny, Nicholas," she cried. "What
matters the life or death of such as Metzger? Our people need you. Out
and tell the men of Theos that once again a Reist will save his
country."

"Brave words, little sister. Brave words."

Her eyes were ablaze with anger.

"Have I been mistaken in you all these years, Nicholas?" she cried.
"Listen again. Those are the children of your city who call to you for
aid. Have you no longer the heart of a man or the blood of a patriot?"

A storm of wind and rain shook the high windows. From below came the
sound of a multitude thronging nearer and nearer till the square
seemed filled to overflowing with a surging mob. The man raised his
head as one who listens, and the smile no longer lightened his face.
The woman who watched him anxiously drew a long sigh of relief. She
knew then beyond a doubt that it needed no words from her to fire his
resolution.

"Marie," he said, quietly, "those are the voices which I have prayed
all my life that I might hear. Only I fear that they have come too
soon. Have you considered what it is that they would have from me?"

"They would make you lord of the country," she cried. "Who better or
more fitted? Have no fear, Nicholas. You come of a race of rulers. The
God of our fathers will guide your destiny."

The room, huge, unlit and darkened with tapestry hangings, seemed full
of mysterious shadows. Only those two faces--the girl's passionate,
the man's keenly thoughtful--seemed like luminous things. From below
came still the murmur of voices rising every now and then to a hoarse
roar. The man became suddenly explicit. His face relaxed. He came back
from a far-away land of thought.

"Listen," he said. "These people have come to put me in Metzger's
place. There would be no difficulty about that. Already I have
received a message from the House of Laws. Bah! I have no stomach
to sit in council with tradesmen and citizens, to have my will
questioned, to rule only by a casting vote. These modern forms
of government are vile. They would make me President of their
Republic--I, a Reist of Theos, whose forefathers ruled the land
with sword and fire. They would put me in the place of Metzger, the
merchant--Metzger, who would have sold his country to the Russians.
I say no!"

"What, then?" she cried. "What, then? Speak, Nicholas. There are
thoughts behind. Who but I should know them?"

"When I rule Theos," he answered, slowly, "it shall be even as the
Dukes of Reist have ruled it before me, with a sceptre in their hands,
and a sword upon their knees. That time is not yet, Marie, but it may
come. I think that you and I will see it."

"Why not now?" she cried. "The people would accept you on any terms.
The Republic has fallen. You shall be their King."

He shook his head.

"The time is not yet," he repeated. "Marie, believe me, I know my
people. In their blood lingers still some taint of the democratic
fever. You must learn, little sister, as I have learned it, the legend
on our walls and shield, the motto of our race, 'Slowly, but ever
forward.'"

"But the people," she cried. "What will you say to them? It is you
whom they want. Their throats are hoarse with shouting."

He threw open the great windows, and a roar of welcome from below rose
high above the storm.

"You shall hear what I will say to them, Marie," he answered. "Come
out by my side."




CHAPTER II


Almost as the man stepped out on to the massive stone balcony of his
house, the wind dropped, and a red flaring sun dipped behind the
towering mountains which guarded the city westwards and eastwards. A
roar of greeting welcomed his appearance, and while he waited for
silence his eyes rested fondly upon the long line of iron-bound hills,
stern and silent guardians of the city of his birth. For a moment he
forgot his ambitions and the long unswerving pursuit of his great
desire. The love of his country was born in the man--the better part
of him was steeped in patriotic fervour. And most of all, he loved
this ancient city amongst the hills, the capital of the State, where
many generations of his family had lived and died. Dear to him were
its squares and narrow streets, the ancient stone houses, the many
picturesque records of its great age ever, as it seemed to him,
frowning with a stern and magnificent serenity amongst the tawdry
evidences of later days and the irresistible march of modernity. The
wine-shops of a hundred years ago flourished still side by side with
the more pretentious _cafés_, half French, half Russian, which had
sprung up like mushrooms about the city. The country-made homespuns,
the glassware and metal work, heritage of generations of craftsmen,
survived still the hideous competition of cheap Lancashire productions
and Brummagem ware. The picturesque old fought a brave battle with the
tinsel and tawdriness of the new. If Nicholas of Reist could have had
his way he would have built an impenetrable wall against this slow
poison, the unwelcome heritage of western progress. He would have
thrust the ages back a century and built bulwarks about his beloved
country. He looked downwards, and his heart grew warm within him. Many
of the people who shouted his name were from the country districts and
wore the picturesque garb of their forefathers long extinct in the
city. The sight of their eager, upturned faces was dear to him. Some
day they should be his people indeed. It should be his country to rule
as he thought best. He felt himself at that moment a patriot pure and
simple.

So he spoke to them in that clear, sweet voice which every Reist
possessed, and he spoke fluently and convincingly.

"My fellow-countrymen," he said, "these are not days for those who
love their country to waste breath in idle speech. Your Republic of
which you were so proud has fallen. Metzger has proved himself a
traitor. Well, I am not surprised at either of these things. I warned
you, but you would not listen. Your ancient Kings must indeed have
turned in their graves when you elected to be ruled by such men. You
have tried them, and you have been betrayed. What would you have with
me?"

"A new government," they cried. "A Reist for President!"

He raised his hand. The roar of voices died away at once.

"You would put me," he said, "in Metzger's place. You would make me
President of the Republic of Theos. Is that what you would have?"

"Ay! Ay!" from a thousand tongues. Then there was a breathless
silence. They waited in deep anxiety for the answer of this man whom
they had come to look upon as their one possible saviour.

For awhile he stood there speechless, deep in thought. After all, was
he not throwing away a certainty for what might prove an empty dream?
There had been Presidents who had become Dictators, and between that
and Monarchy the chasm was narrow and easily bridged. It was not for
long, however, that he wavered. His plans were too carefully thought
out to be changed by an impulse, however powerful. His time was not
yet.

"My people," he said quietly, "I thank you, and I am sorry that what
you ask may not be. It is not because I do not love my country, it is
not because I would not shed my last drop of blood in her defence. But
President of your Republic I never will be. No earthly power should
draw my footsteps across the threshold of your brand-new Parliament."

There arose a deep murmur of disappointment--almost of despair. They
shouted questions, appeals, prayers, and Nicholas of Reist leaned far
over his time-worn stone balcony and spoke to them again.

"You are questioning my patriotism," he cried. "You do not understand.
Very well, you shall know all that is in my mind. I am going to say
what will sound like treason to you. Perhaps you will shout me
down--it may be that you will leave me now in disgust. Nevertheless,
listen. I hate your Republic. It is a rotten, corrupt thing. I hate
what you have called your Parliament. There is scarcely a man in it
whom I would trust. What has your new-fangled scheme of government
done for you? It has made you the sport and plaything of the Powers,
our independence is hourly threatened, ay, even before this year has
passed away the cannon of the invader may be thundering against your
walls. When that time comes I promise that you shall not call to me in
vain. You shall find me amongst you sword in hand, and I pray God that
I may do my duty as a patriot and a faithful son of the State. But
this thing which you ask of me now I will not do. I will not take my
seat at the same table with those who have helped Metzger to traffic
in the freedom of this country. I will not speak with or have any
dealing with them. How is it that you have dared to ask me this thing,
men of Theos? Already the war beacons are built--soon they may be
reddening our skies. This is what your Republic has done for you, and
as God is my witness, so long as that Republic exists I will not lift
my little finger to help you."

Something of a panic seized the people, for indeed the words of the
speaker had come home to them, winged with a foretelling truth.
Metzger, their President, had been caught red-handed in a flagrant
attempt to barter away the freedom of their country. Who else might
not be implicated? They looked at one another fearfully. One feeling
alone was common to all. Before them was the only man whom they could
trust--one of their ancient nobility, a patriot, above suspicion. He
had more to say. They would take him on his own terms. So once more
the air was rent with their cries, and Nicholas of Reist raised again
his hand.

"Listen," he said. "You want my advice. You have come to me because
the State is in danger, and because those who should have defended it
have played you false. So be it! I speak to you as man to man, citizen
of Theos to citizen of Theos. No Republic can save you. It is a King
you want."

A deep, hoarse murmur swept upwards from the packed square. The
Republic had been their plaything, the caprice of an impulsive people,
and they were loth to own themselves in the wrong. Nicholas of Reist
read their faces like a book. Now or never must he win his way from
this people, or fall forever from their regard. His pale countenance
was lit with a passionate earnestness. He leaned towards them, and his
voice throbbed with tremulous eloquence.

"Listen," he cried. "You have had a Parliament and a
President--Metzger. What glories has he won for you?--how has he
enriched you, how much more prosperous is our country? I will tell you
what he has done. He has tried to sell you and Theos for a million
pounds. Oh, I am not afraid to tell you the truth, though one of you
should shoot me whilst I stand here. Theos was to become a tributary
state to Russia. Your country, which has defied conquest for a
thousand years, was to be bartered away that one man might live in
luxury on his miserable blood-money. Men of Theos, turn over the back
pages of your country's history. Think of those heroes who gave their
lives that you might be free men. Think of King Rudolph, who
vanquished all the hosts of Austria, or King Ughtred, who drove the
Turks back across the Balkans in midwinter, and with five thousand
ill-armed men routed the whole army of the Sultan. Remember Rudolph
the Second, who defended this very city for twelve months against
fifty thousand Turks, until for very shame England held up her hand
and all Europe rang with the gallantry of our King and his little band
of half-starved soldiers. Leave Republics to nations who have no past,
and whose souls are steeped in commerce. What have we to do with them?
We have a magnificent history, an ancient and glorious country. We
have soldiers, few perhaps, but matchless throughout the world. And
men of Theos, listen. Metzger has gone far in his treachery. I know
nothing of your State affairs, but this I do know. The covetousness of
those with whom he dealt is whetted. They are not likely to bear their
disappointment quietly. Before many months have passed the storm may
burst--the war beacons may be flaring round our borders. So I say to
you, have no more dealings with Republics. Scatter your Parliament to
the four winds of Heaven, summon back your ancient House of Laws,
choose for yourselves a soldier King, one of the ancient and royal
race, who shall rule you as his forefathers did in times of peace, and
ride before you with drawn sword when the war clouds gather."

The babel of many voices broke loose. Reist felt his sister's fingers
close upon his arm.

"It is you who must be their King, Nicholas."

He shook his head. Then they saw that he would speak again, and the
murmur of voices died away. Reist leaned over towards them, and his
face was very pale. This was his renunciation.

"My people," he said, "listen. Many of you have heard of the war which
the English have been carrying on in Egypt. You have heard perhaps of
a Captain Erlito, who, with a dozen men, held a Nile fort for two days
against a thousand dervishes, and for this and other acts of valour
has won the Iron Cross. But this at least you do not know. Captain
Erlito is the assumed name of Ughtred of Tyrnaus, Prince of Theos."

The murmur of voices became a roar of acclamation. Then Nicholas of
Reist raised his voice at once.

"Listen, men of Theos," he cried. "Is it your will that I seek out for
you Prince Ughtred and offer him the throne of Theos? Think well
before you answer. He is a soldier, a brave and honest man, and he is
of the royal race of Tyrnaus, who for many generations have been Kings
of Theos. He will not sell you to Russia or beckon the hosts of the
Sultan across the mountains. Will you have him for your King?"

The square, nay, the city, rang with their passionate answer. Never
was anything more unanimous. Nicholas stepped back into the room. His
sister faced him with blazing eyes and cheeks dyed red with anger.

"Fool!" she cried, "fool! They would have made you King. They were
yours to do what you would with. You have been false to your destiny.
I will never forgive you, Nicholas."

He smiled curiously, and pointed upwards to that deep-engraven legend.

"My time," he said, "is not yet."




CHAPTER III


The lift went rumbling up to the topmost storey of the great block of
flats, and stopped at last with something of a groan. The gates were
opened, and Reist stepped out. He looked about him at the bare walls,
the stone floor, and shrugged his shoulders. Erlito was none too well
lodged then--soldiering had brought him some brief fame, but little
else. Then he suddenly smiled. The incongruity of the thing was
ridiculous. His sense of humour, by no means a characteristic trait of
the man, was touched. The smile lingered upon his lips. He had come to
offer a kingdom to a pauper!

The lift-boy slammed his gates and prepared to descend.

"Captain Erlito's rooms are at the end of the passage, sir," he
volunteered. "Last door on the left."

The information was properly rewarded, and the boy's tolerant contempt
for the foreigner, who at his journey's end seemed afflicted with a
curious hesitation, became an extinct thing. He pulled the rope and
descended in hot haste, a large silver coin locked in his fingers and
a glorious tingling sensation of unbounded wealth in his bosom.

Reist knocked at the door which had been pointed out to him, and
waited. There came no answer. He tried again, and became conscious of
a confused volume of sounds within, altogether drowning his summons
for admission. He listened, perplexed. Light and rapid footsteps, the
swishing of a silken skirt, a clear, musical laugh and cry of triumph,
a succession of sounds which were wholly meaningless to him. Surely it
was some sort of pandemonium. A momentary silence was followed by a
chorus of voices. Reist raised his stick and knocked more loudly. A
man's voice travelled out to him like mild thunder.

"Come in!"

Reist opened the door and crossed the threshold. Before him was an
explanation of the sounds which he had heard. Only he was, if
possible, a little more bewildered than ever.

He was in a high, bare apartment, carpetless, and almost without
furniture. Across the middle of the floor was stretched an upright
net, and on either side of it were chalk-marked squares. Facing him
was a girl with her left foot poised slightly forward, her arm raised,
in the act of striking a feathered cork with a small racquet. By her
side was a man whom Reist recognized at once. Directly he saw his
visitor he stopped the game.

"One moment, Miss Van Decht," he cried. "I am wanted."

He crossed the room, swinging his racquet in his hand, and addressed
Reist with a pleasant smile.

"We have been making so much noise," he said, "that I am afraid we did
not hear your first knock. I am Captain Erlito. You wished to see me?"

Reist looked him steadily and full in the face. If physique went for
anything this man was surely born to be a King. He was well over six
feet, splendidly made, and of military appearance. His features were
clean-cut in the unmistakable Tyrnaus mould--only his mouth, which,
stern though it was, was full of humour, seemed unfamiliar. His eyes
were a wonderful deep blue, and his skin bronzed and burned with the
Egyptian sun. A momentary bitterness possessed Reist. The people of
Theos would care little for the brains which this man might lack. The
first glance of him would be sufficient. They would shout him King
till they were hoarse.

"You do not remember me, then?" Reist asked, softly.

Erlito stood swinging his racquet lightly in his fingers, and looked
into his visitor's face with pleasant and deferential courtesy.

"Do you know," he said, "I am very sorry, but I am afraid that I do
not. I have a very bad memory for faces. There is something about
yours which seems to me familiar, but it comes from a long way back."

Reist smiled faintly.

"Yes," he said, "it comes indeed from a long way back. It comes from
our boyhood. I hope at least that you have not forgotten my name. I am
Nicholas of Reist."

A radiant smile broke across Erlito's face. He dropped his racquet and
held out both his hands.

"It is little Nick!" he cried. "By all that is wonderful it is little
Nick! Remember you? Why, we played soldiers together when we were
children. A thousand, thousand welcomes."

He wrung his visitor's hands. His eyes were very bright. He was
undoubtedly affected.

"I am glad that you have not forgotten those days," Reist murmured.
"As children we were together day by day. Yet it is very long ago, and
for you at least," he continued, "there have been so many great
happenings."

"It is splendid of you to have found me out," Erlito cried. "I
imagined that no one knew even of my existence. And Marie?"

"My sister is quite well," Reist answered. "I had forgotten for the
moment that she too was once your playmate. It is so long ago."

"She is with you in London? You are living here, perhaps?" Erlito
asked. "It is the most hospitable city in the world."

Reist shook his head.

"There is only one home for us," he answered. "I do not love strange
cities."

"You mean----"

"Theos!"

Erlito's face clouded suddenly over. He glanced uneasily behind him.
His face became graver, his expression resolved itself into sterner
lines. A sudden bitterness found its way into his tone. The mention of
Theos had stung him.

"The Republic tolerates aristocrats, then," he remarked. "You are
fortunate."

Reist drew himself up.

"The Republic," he answered, proudly, "would never dare to interfere
with us. While the people of Theos remain, we of Reist are safe."

There was a momentary pause. Reist was conscious that his impetuous
speech was scarcely a happy one. For it was this man indeed who was
the outcast--whose name even had become strange to the people over
whom his forefathers had ruled. Erlito showed no resentment, but his
eyes were very sorrowful.

"Your family," he said, slowly, "have always been patriots. You
deserve well of your country people."

Reist glanced once more around the room.

"My visit to you," he said, "is not one of courtesy--nay, let me say
affection, only. I have a weighty matter to discuss with you. Will you
allow me to outstay your guests?"

"With all the pleasure in the world," Erlito answered, heartily. "I
should indeed insist upon it."

"You will perhaps continue your--game," Reist suggested, with another
glance towards the net. "My time is yours."

Erlito hesitated.

"You are very good, Nicholas," he said. "We are, as you see, playing
Badminton, and as a matter of fact we are very much in earnest about
this game. Miss Van Decht and I are playing the deciding match with my
friends there, Hassen and Brand. Let me find you a chair, and present
you to these good people. Afterwards--it will not be long--I shall be
wholly at your service; and, Nicholas, if you please, I am Erlito only
here. You understand?"

Reist assented gravely, and Erlito turned round. The two players were
talking to the girl across the net. An elderly man with grey imperial
and smoking a long cigar was leaning back in a deck-chair.

"Miss Van Decht," Erlito said, turning to her, "will you permit me to
present to you my very old friend, the Duke Nicholas of Reist--Miss
Van Decht, Mr. Van Decht, Mr. Hassen, Mr. Brand."

Reist bowed low before the girl, who looked straight into his
eyes with a frank and pleasant curiosity. She was largely made,
but the long flowing lines of her figure were perfectly and
symmetrically graceful. Her features were delicate, but her mouth was
delightful--large, shapely and sensitive. Her light brown hair, which
showed a disposition to wave, had escaped bounds a little during the
violent exercise and had fallen into picturesque disorder. She smiled
charmingly at Reist, but said nothing beyond the conventional words
of greeting. Then she looked up at Erlito with twinkling eyes.

"Mr. Brand is getting insupportable," she declared. "He is like all
you obstinate Englishmen. He does not know when he is beaten."

"We will endeavour," Erlito said, taking up his racquet, "to impress
it upon him. There are cigarettes by your side, Reist."

The girl went to her place at the end of the court.

"This must be the deciding game," she declared, "for the light is
going, and dad is smoking his last cigar. Ready! Serve!"

The game recommenced. Reist sat upon an overturned box by the side of
Mr. Van Decht smoking a cigarette and watching gravely the flying
figures. It was the girl who absorbed most of his attention. To him
she was an utterly new type. She was as beautiful in her way as his
own sister, but her frank energy and the easy terms of intimacy which
obviously existed between her male companions and herself was wholly
inexplicable to him. He watched her with fascinated gaze. All the
beautiful women whom he had ever known had numbered amongst their
characteristics a certain restraint, almost an aloofness, which he had
come to look upon as their inevitable attribute. Their smiles were
rare and precious marks of favour, an undisturbed serenity of
deportment was almost an inherent part of their education. Here was a
woman of the new world, no less to be respected, he was sure, than her
sisters of Theos, Vienna, and St. Petersburg, yet viewing life from a
wholly different standpoint. From the first there was something
curiously fascinating to Reist in the perfect naturalness and
self-assurance of the girl whose every thought and energy seemed
centred just then upon that flying cork. Her lips were slightly
parted, her eyes were bright, her face was full of colour and
vivacity. She sprang backwards and forwards, jumped and stooped with
the delightful freedom of perfect health and strength. She even joined
in the chaff which flashed backwards and forwards across the net,
good-humoured always, and gay, but always personal and indicating a
more than common intimacy between the little party. Reist would have
been quite content to have sat and watched her until the game was
over, but for a sudden, and to him amazing, incident. At a critical
moment Erlito missed a difficult stroke--the younger and slighter of
his two opponents threw his racquet into the air with a curious little
cry of triumph.

"Ho-e-la! Ho-e-la!"

Reist started almost to his feet, and the blood surged hotly in his
veins. Where had he heard that cry before? He looked the man over with
a swift and eager scrutiny. Olive-cheeked, with black eyes and
moustache, slightly-hooked nose and light, graceful bearing, he might
have belonged to any of the southern nations. He was certainly no
Englishman. "Ho-e-la! Ho-e-la!" How the fever of hate was kindled in
Reist's heart as the echoes of that cry rang through the room. His
memory, too, was swift and vivid. No longer he sat in that bare attic
watching the flying figures of the Badminton players and listening to
their cheerful badinage. Walls enclosed him no more. He saw out over
the sea and land, he saw things the memory of which still thrilled his
pulses, tugged at his heart-strings. Over the snow-capped hills he
rode, wrapped in military furs, his sabre clanking by his side and a
storm of stinging sleet driven into his face. Below were lights
flashing in a white wilderness--amongst the hills flared the red fire
of the guns, the music of their thunders was even then upon his ears.
Down the steep defile he rode at the head of his troop, the sound of
their approach muffled by the deep snow--afterwards the roar of
meeting, the breathless excitement of the charge, the deep battle-cry
of the men of Theos and from those others--ah, he had it now.

"Ho-e-la! Ho-e-la! Allah! Allah!"

A cry of triumph. The game was over. Sara Van Decht threw herself into
a chair between her father and him and fanned herself vigorously with
a pocket-handkerchief. The others were laughing and talking amongst
themselves. Erlito came over at once to her side.

"Miss Van Decht," he cried, gaily, "we are invincible. You played
magnificently. Reist, we are going to have some tea, and then I shall
be at your service. Why, our tussle seems to have interested you."

Reist withdrew his eyes reluctantly from watching Hassen. He smiled
faintly.

"Yes," he said. "New things are always interesting! New things--and
old friends!"




CHAPTER IV


Afternoon tea was brought in by an elderly man-servant in plain
livery, and was probably the most unconventional meal which Reist had
ever shared. They sat about promiscuously upon chairs and overturned
boxes, and there was a good deal of lively conversation. Brand was a
newspaper man, who had served as war correspondent with Erlito in the
Egyptian campaign, Mr. Van Decht and his daughter were rich Americans,
loitering about Europe. Hassen remained silent, and of him Reist
learned nothing further. The little which he knew sufficed.

Brand came over and sat by Reist's side. He was a tall, fair man, with
keen eyes and weather-beaten skin--by no means unlike Erlito, save
that his shoulders were not so broad, and he lacked the military
carriage.

"I am interested in your country, Duke," he said. "You are making
history there. It seems to me that it may become European history."

"Theos has fallen upon evil times," Reist answered. "All that we pray
of Europe is that we may be left alone. If that be granted us we shall
right ourselves."

Sara Van Decht looked across at him with frank interest.

"Do you come from Theos, Duke?" she asked.

Reist bowed.

"I have lived there all my life," he said, "and I know it better than
any other place.

"It is a very beautiful country," he continued, "and very dear to its
people. To strangers, though, and specially you who have been brought
up in America, I must confess that we should probably seem outside the
pale of civilization."

"Tell me why," she asked. "What are you so backward in?"

"Luxuries," he answered. "We have no electric light."

"It is detestable," she exclaimed.

"No street cars."

"They are abominable!"

Reist smiled quietly.

"We have scarcely any railways," he said, "and the telephone is rare
enough to be a curiosity."

She laughed back at him, and gave her empty cup to Brand.

"Primitivism," she declared, "is quite the most delightful thing in
the world. Then your politics, too, must be most exciting. You have
revolutions, and that sort of thing, do you not?"

"I do not understand you, Miss Van Decht," he said, quietly. "Will you
not tell me what you mean?"

"The papers are all so vague," she answered, "but one gathers that
Theos is in a state of political unrest. I believe in South America
they would call that a revolution."

Reist's eyes flashed fire. A faint smile flickered upon Hassen's lips.

"There is not any comparison," he said, haughtily, "any possible
comparison, between the affairs of one of the most ancient and
historical countries in Europe and the mushroom States of South
America. Theos, it is true, has made mistakes, and she will suffer for
them--she is suffering now."

"The Republic, for example," Hassen remarked, quietly.

"Theos," Reist answered, "is a country in which the Republican
instinct is as yet unborn. Her sons are homely and brave, tillers of
the soil, or soldiers. We have few cities to corrupt, and very little
attempt at the education which makes shopkeepers and anarchists of
honest men. Perhaps that is why we have kept our independence. Ay,
kept it, although hemmed in with false friends and open enemies."

Reist spoke with fervour, a fire in his dark eyes, a note of passion
vibrating in his slow tones. The girl especially watched him with keen
interest. To her all this was new and incredible. She was used to men
to whom self-restraint was amongst the cardinal virtues, to the
patriotism of torchlight processions and fire-crackers. This was all
so different, it was as though some one had turned back for her the
pages of history.... Reist surely was not of this generation? Erlito
had averted his face, Hassen was busy lighting a cigarette, Mr. Van
Decht was as bewildered as his daughter. Yet Reist's words, in a way,
had moved all of them. It was Hassen who answered.

"If the Republican instinct," he remarked, quietly, "is as yet unborn
in Theos, whence the banishment of the Tyrnaus family, and the
establishment of a Republican government?"

Reist turned full upon him, and his eyes were like the eyes of an
angry lion.

"Maurice of Tyrnaus," he said, "was one of the degenerates of a noble
race. I say no more against one whom, if alive, I should still
acknowledge as my King."

Hassen shrugged his shoulders.

"You are a long way from Theos, Count," he remarked, pointedly. "You
took, I presume, the oath of allegiance to the Republic when it was
formed?"

"That is a false saying," Reist answered, scornfully. "I neither took
the oath nor recognized the government."

"Yet they allowed you to remain in the capital city?" Hassen asked.

"There was no one," Reist answered, "who would have dared to bid me
depart. Of the ancient nobility of Theos we alone remain, alas, close
dwellers in our native country. Else Metzger had been hung in the
market-place with short shrift--he a merchant, a trafficker in coin,
who dared to sit in the ancient Council House of Theos and weave his
cursed treason. And listen, sir," he continued, turning abruptly upon
Hassen. "You would know whence sprang that evil weed of a Republic! I
will tell you. It was the work of foreign spies working with foreign
gold amongst the outcasts and scum of Theos. It was not the choice of
the people. It was the word of sedition, of cunning bribery, the vile
underhand efforts of foreign politicians seeking to weaken by
treachery a country they dared not, small though it is, provoke to
battle."

There followed a strange, tense silence. No one thought of
interruption. They held their breath and waited. The conversation
which had started harmlessly enough had become a duel. The grim shadow
of tragedy seemed suddenly to have stalked in amongst them. Hassen
sprang to his feet, livid, his coal-black eyes on fire. Reist was
facing him, his head thrown back, passionate, contemptuous, bitter.
With a swift, threatening gesture he threw out his arm towards his
adversary.

"Hassen Bey," he said, "my private enemies I meet under the roof of my
friends, and courtesy demands that I hold my peace and pass on. The
enemies of my country I denounce at all times, and in all places. You
are a Turkish spy, one of those of whom I have been speaking, who
sought the hospitality of Theos only to scatter gold amongst the
common people to plot and intrigue for your master, the Sultan. Oh, I
know that you are also a soldier and a brave man, for I have met you
face to face in battle, and may God grant that I do so again. Yet you
are a spy and a treacherous rogue, and I am very thankful that I have
come here to tell you so, and to order you to leave this roof."

Hassen had recovered himself. He turned to Erlito.

"The Duke of Reist," he said, quietly, "is a friend of yours. Perhaps
it is better that I should go. I regret very much to have been the
passive cause of such an outbreak. Miss Van Decht, you will accept my
apologies."

Erlito was very grave. He did not seem to see the hand which Hassen
held out to him.

"Hassen," he said, "we have been friends, but I do not understand
these things which the Duke of Reist has said of you. You have spoken
of yourself as a Frenchman--of Theos or of Turkey I have heard
nothing. Have you any explanation to offer?"

Hassen shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"My dear Erlito," he said, "the Duke of Reist is an honest man,
but--he will forgive me--he is an anachronism. He should have lived
two centuries ago--or, better still, he would have made an excellent
crusader. The necessities of modern diplomacy are unknown to him. He
has passed all his days in a semi-civilized country. He is not a
fitting judge of the things which happen to-day."

A sudden lightning flashed in Erlito's blue eyes. He drew himself to
his full height, and pointed towards the door.

"That semi-civilized country, sir, is mine also, and if you are one of
those who have sought to corrupt it, I beg that you will leave this
room while you may with a whole skin. At once, sir!"

The imperturbability of the man was clearly disturbed. He looked at
Erlito in amazement. The face of Nicholas of Reist shone with joy.

"Your country?" Hassen repeated, incredulously. "What have you to do
with Theos?"

Erlito hesitated--not so Reist. He stepped forward, and the leaping
firelight threw a strange glow upon his pale, mobile features.

"After all," he cried to Hassen, "it seems that you are but a poor
fool of a conspirator. I will do you an honour which you ill deserve.
I will present you to his Royal Highness, Prince Ughtred, of Tyrnaus."

"Gracious!"

The single monosyllable--from Sara Van Decht--was the only speech
which broke the amazed silence. She was leaning forward in her chair,
gazing eagerly at the three men, her beautiful eyes eloquent with
excitement--a crown of fire gleaming in her brown-gold hair. No one
noticed her. Hassen, who had regained his composure, but in whose face
was written a deep self-disgust, moved towards the door. With his
fingers upon the handle he paused and looked back at the little group.

"You are both," he said, in a low tone, "a little hard upon a soldier,
and a servant of the Sultan, with whom obedience is forced to become
an instinct. Of that--no more. But there is one thing which you may
call me as often and as thoroughly as you will, for it is as true as
the Koran, that I am an absolute--a blind fool!"

He passed out, and they heard him singing for the lift. Sara Van Decht
looked up at Brand, who was sitting next to her. Her half-whispered
remark dissolved the situation.

"I suppose that we are all awake," she said. "I feel as though I
wanted to pinch myself to be sure of it."




CHAPTER V


"And what has brought you to London, Nicholas, my friend?" Erlito
asked. "Is it pleasure, or you have perhaps a mission to the English
Government?"

It was the great moment. Reist, too restless to sit down, stood upon
the hearthrug, the angry fire lingering in his eyes, a spot of dull
colour burning still in his cheeks. He had not yet got over the shock
of finding one of the men he most hated and despised in life a guest
in this house of all others.

"Pleasure," he repeated, thoughtfully. "People would call me a
fanatic, yet nevertheless, Ughtred, this is the truth. There is no
pleasure for me outside my country. The life of the European capitals
chokes me. There is a tawdriness about them all, something artificial
and unreal. I do not know how to describe it, but it is there--in
Petersburg, in Paris, in London and Vienna. It is like a gigantic
depression. I seem to become in them a puppet, a shadow walking across
a great stage. Always I am longing to be back in Theos--in Theos where
the winds blow down from the hills, and the faces of the men and women
in the streets are clean with health. Ah, my friend, I know what you
would say. The great cities, too, with their factories and huge
buildings which shut out the sky, they are part of God's earth. The
smoke which stains the heavens comes from the making of useful and
beautiful things. Yet I watch my peasants tilling their little farms,
tending their hillside vineyards, without luxuries, without knowledge
of luxuries, ever light-hearted, contented, strong and healthy as
children of the earth should be. The love of that little strip of land
of theirs is the keynote of their patriotism. It is a passion, a joy
to them. Oh, do you wonder that I think these things are best!"

Erlito's eyes were full of sympathy. His head sank upon his folded
arms. His thoughts travelled backwards. It was so many years ago, yet
he could remember.

"Listen, Nicholas," he said. "I have travelled much more than you. I
have been in many strange countries and seen life under many strange
conditions. But all the while there has been a pain in my heart. I
have found no home. I, too, love Theos! There will come a day when no
sentence of banishment will keep me away."

Reist looked up. The moment had come.

"That day," he said, "may be nearer than you think. Ughtred, I have
left Theos on no slight business. I am here with a mission, and my
mission is to you!"

Erlito's eyes were full of questioning wonder.

"The accursed Republic," Reist continued, "has fallen like a pack of
cards. There is panic in the city and throughout the country. Theos
knows now that she has been deceived and misguided, that she has been
brought to the very verge of ruin. The Powers no longer continue to
assure her of their protection. A sovereign and a Tyrnaus had ever a
claim upon them, not so this bastard and bungling Republic. The city
is full of Russian spies, the Austrians watch us night and day, the
Turks are creeping up even to the Balkans. Rumours of partition have
reached us from the great Cabinets. Ughtred of Tyrnaus, there is only
one man to-day who can save the country, and that man is you."

Erlito dropped his pipe, and leaned forward in his chair.

"Are you mocking me, Reist?" he asked.

"May God forbid," Reist answered, fervently, "that I should speak idle
words upon such a subject. The people of Theos are still brave and
true, and their freedom is as dear to them as life itself. They came
to me, who for long have lived apart, and I have shown them what I
truthfully believe to be their only chance of salvation. You are that
chance, Ughtred. The throne of your fathers is yours if you will have
it. A brave man can seize it, and a brave man can hold it in the teeth
of all Europe, and by your God and for the sake of the blood which is
in your veins, Ughtred of Tyrnaus, I summon you to return with me to
Theos."

Erlito rose slowly up. His cheeks were flushed with excitement.
Reist's appeal had moved him deeply.

"You mean this?" he said. "You mean that you bring me this message
from the people of Theos?"

Reist raised his hand solemnly.

"I mean that on their behalf I, Nicholas of Reist, than whom none has
a better right to speak for their country, offer you the crown of
Theos."

Erlito walked restlessly up and down the little study into which he
had brought his visitor.

"We of Tyrnaus," he said, "are under sentence of perpetual exile."

"It was the illegal sentence of an illegal assembly," Reist answered.
"The voice of the people has revoked it. They bid you forget all else
save that your native land looks to you in her hour of trouble.
Listen. It is no rose-strewn way along which you will pass to your
inheritance. There will be no popular reception, no grand ceremony. We
must travel day and night to Theos, secretly, perhaps even in
disguise. You must be crowned King in the Palace the moment we arrive
there. Secretly I have already called together the army, for the
moment the news is known there will be a storm. There are Russians and
Austrian secret agents in Theos, each working for their own ends. They
believe that I have gone to Vienna and Petersburg to beg for the
intercession of the Powers. Meanwhile the Turkish dogs are creeping up
the Balkans. They are gathered around our country, Ughtred, like
wreckers waiting for the ship to break up. It is for you to steer that
ship into safe waters."

There was a long silence. Erlito was standing with his elbow upon the
mantelpiece, looking into the fire. In his heart were many emotions,
in his face a strange light. A new world had been opened up before
him. He saw great things moving across the vista of the future. No
longer then need he brood over an empty life, or bewail the idle sword
of a gentleman of fortune. Here was stuff enough to make a dozen
careers, a future, successful or unsuccessful, more brilliant than
anything else which he could have conceived. But Reist, who failed to
read his companion's thoughts, was troubled. This prolonged silence
was inexplicable to him.

"You do not hesitate?" he asked at last.

Erlito laughed and drew himself up.

"You must not think so ill of me as that, Nicholas," he answered.
"Nay, there was no thought of hesitation in my mind. I accept--gladly,
thankfully. Only you must know this. Of soldiering I have learnt a
little, and nothing would make me happier than to lead the men of
Theos into battle. But of statesmanship I know little, and of
kingcraft nothing at all. You must find me faithful advisers. You
yourself must stand at my right hand."

Then Nicholas of Reist drew a long breath, and the cloud passed away
from his face.

"There are still many faithful citizens," he said, "whom we can rally
around us, and I myself--I live only for Theos. Let me tell you this,
for it will give you confidence. It is a soldier for whom the people
are pining. They want no more merchants in high places. They shall see
you, Ughtred of Tyrnaus, in the uniform of their Guards. They shall
hear you give the word of command, they will shout you King--ay, they
will take you into their hearts, this people."

So the hands of the two met in a long, fervent clasp. Erlito embraced
his destiny, and Reist set the seal upon his renunciation.

       *       *       *       *       *

A King! As Ughtred fastened his white tie before the tiny mirror
upon his dressing-case those lines at the corner of his mouth gave
way. He suddenly burst out laughing. A King! The incongruity of the
thing tickled his sense of humour--he laughed long and heartily. He
looked around him. His bedchamber was tiny, and he had only been
able to afford furniture of the cheapest description. He looked at
the plain rush carpet, the swords and foils which were almost his
sole decoration upon the walls, the humble appointments of his
dressing-table. Everything was scrupulously neat and clean, stern and
soldier-like in simplicity. What a change was before him. From here to
the royal palace of Theos, where a chamberlain would wait upon him
with bended knee, and the small etiquette of a Court would hamper his
every movement. The last few years passed in swift review before him.
He had lived always like a gentleman, but always with a certain amount
of rigid self-denial necessitated by his small income. He had few
acquaintances and fewer friends. The luxury of a West-End club had
been denied to him--fencing and long walks were almost his sole
relaxation. All that he had had to hope for was the breaking out of
some small war in any corner of the world, when his sword and military
experience might give him a chance to follow his profession. He was,
if anything, deficient in imagination, but he had humour enough and to
spare. He laughed softly as he donned his carefully-folded and
well-worn dress-coat, and reflected that this was perhaps the last
dinner which he would eat in such garments with companions of his own
choosing. It was surely a strange turn in the wheel of fortune.




CHAPTER VI


"I think your friend the Duke of Reist is a very interesting man,"
Sara Van Decht remarked, "but as a dinner companion he's just a little
depressing. I wonder what father and he will find to talk about."

Ughtred laughed. They had just come out from the restaurant, to find
the great hall almost full. Reist and Mr. Van Decht were sitting a
little apart from them.

"Reist is a very good fellow," Ughtred declared, "but just now he is
not very much in the humour for gaiety. He is passionately attached to
his country, and Theos, alas, is passing through a very anxious time
in her history. No, you must not judge him by his demeanour to-night.
I had much difficulty in persuading him to accept your father's
invitation."

She nodded sympathetically.

"Has he come over to obtain aid from England?" she asked. "From the
papers this morning it seems as though one of the Powers would have to
interfere and straighten things out."

Ughtred looked down with grave, steadfast eyes into the girl's
upturned face. It was time for him to tell her. How ridiculous it
would sound. She would probably laugh at him.

"Reist came to England," he said, "to find me."

She looked at him in mild wonder.

"You! But you are no longer interested in Theos, are you?"

He sighed.

"I have been an exile for many years," he said, "and Theos has come to
mean little else to me save a beautiful memory. Yet I have never
forgotten that she is my native country. I am never likely to forget
it."

"Do you hope ever to return?" she asked.

"I hope to be in Theos within a week," he answered. "I am returning
with Reist."

She looked up at him startled, but deeply interested.

"You mean it?" she cried. "Oh, tell me!"

"You have read of the downfall of the Republic," he continued. "Reist
assures me that the people will never tolerate another. They speak
already of a King, and, Miss Van Decht--you must not laugh, please--I
am the only surviving member of the royal family of Theos."

She gasped.

"You are to be King!" she exclaimed.

"The people have sent for me," he answered, simply. "Of course there
are difficulties, and after all it may not come to pass. Still, the
crown is mine by right, and I am going to strike a blow for it. We
leave for Theos to-morrow."

"A King! To-morrow!" she repeated, vaguely.

She was bereft of words. Ughtred laughed nervously.

"Miss Van Decht," he said, "it isn't altogether a prospect of
fairyland. There are many things to be given up. There are many things
which a man may possess but a King can only covet. I have become
somewhat of a Bohemian in my wanderings, and my freedom is very dear
to me. Yet I think that I am doing right in making this attempt. I
love Theos, and it will be a joy to fight her battles. I love the old
city and the mountains and the wild country. I may not be a patriot
like Nicholas of Reist, but the old war music seems to leap and burn
in my blood when I think of the Turks creeping nearer and nearer to
the frontier, and our ancient city full of foreign spies, gathered
together like carrion birds before the massacre. It is intolerable!"

She was thoughtful and sympathetic.

"Yes," she said, softly; "it is right that you should feel like that.
Ours is a new country, and there is nothing about her beautiful or
historic. Yet, if she were in danger--oh, yes, I understand. You are
right to go. May you be successful!"

A crash of martial music from the band filled the air with ringing
melody, and for a moment they sat silent. Ughtred took up his as yet
unlit cigarette, and Sara sipped her coffee. Around them were little
groups of men and brilliantly-dressed women. The pleasant hum of
conversation and light laughter came to them with something of an
inspiring ring. Down the broad promenade two men were walking. Sara
touched her companion on the arm with her fan.

"Look!" she whispered.

Ughtred recognized Hassen with a frown, and his companion with a
sudden thrill of interest. They were coming slowly down from the
restaurant, talking earnestly together, and by the side of the tall,
distinguished-looking man, who was listening to him with so
inscrutable a countenance, Hassen appeared almost insignificant.
Nicholas of Reist, who had moved from his chair to fetch an evening
paper, met them face to face. He would have passed on with a
contemptuous glance at Hassen, but that the older man turned and
accosted him with grave yet pleasant courtesy.

"The Duke of Reist is far from home! This is indeed a surprising
meeting."

Reist started as he recognized the speaker. He cast a single
lightning-like glance at Hassen, who lingered by.

"It is as welcome as surprising," Reist answered, quietly. "I had
promised myself the pleasure of paying my respects at the Embassy
to-morrow."

"You will not, I trust, let anything interfere with so amiable an
intention," was the suave reply. "You and I should have much to say to
each other, Reist. You have a vacant chair here, I see. Will you allow
me to take my coffee with you?"

"I shall be much honoured," Reist answered, quietly. "As you say,
there is much which we might discuss. Will you permit me to introduce
you to my friends?"

The faintest indication of surprise was followed by a murmur of
delighted assent. Hassen, perplexed and white with anger, moved away.
The two men threaded the little maze of chairs and palm trees and
women's skirts, and reached the corner where Sara and Ughtred sat.
Reist gravely performed the introduction.

"Miss Van Decht, will you allow me to present to you the Prince Alexis
of Ollendirk, Miss Van Decht--Mr. Van Decht. Ughtred, I am sure you
two should know one another. Prince Alexis of Ollendirk, Ughtred of
Tyrnaus."

The Prince, who had bowed low and gracefully to Sara, held out his
hand frankly to Ughtred.

"To number Tyrnaus amongst one's acquaintances," he said, "has been an
honour for centuries. I knew your father, Prince Ughtred. His Majesty
was always very good to me. The Gold Star of Theos is amongst the most
treasured of my possessions."

More coffee was ordered by Mr. Van Decht, and cigarettes. A measured
and somewhat curious conversation followed. The Russian Ambassador
talked to Sara chiefly. Ughtred seemed to interest him only as a
pleasantly-met acquaintance. They exchanged views on Paris and Vienna,
and Prince Alexis pleaded eloquently for the charms of his own city.
With consummate skill he led the conversation to Theos.

"The most picturesque country in Europe," he declared, "to-day I fear
the most unfortunate. You see, Mr. Van Decht," he continued, turning
towards him, "it is not always that a great country can exist and be
developed upon democratic principles. Theos, under the royal House of
Tyrnaus, had at least a recognized place amongst the European States.
To-day she has lost it. Of her future--no man can speak with
certainty."

The Russian leaned back and lit a cigarette. Yet Reist felt that he
was being watched by those half-closed, sleepy eyes. He leaned a
little forward and lowered his voice.

"I am a man of Theos, bred and born," he said, slowly, "and the
future of my country is as my own future. I am not in this bastard
government, as you doubtless know, Prince Alexis, but I have the
confidence of the people. They have come to me for counsel, they have
asked me how best they can secure their continued independence. It is
a great emergency this, and since we have met here I am venturing to
ask for your advice. You have a precise knowledge of the situation,
you know the country, the people, our environment. How best do you
think that I could answer them?"

The Russian smoked thoughtfully for a moment. In the little clouds of
blue smoke which hung about his head he seemed to be seeking for
inspiration. Was this simplicity, he wondered, or had Reist indeed a
hidden purpose in seeking to make him declare himself?

"It is not an easy question which you ask, my friend," he answered at
last. "Yet, after all, I doubt whether more than one course is open to
those who would direct the destinies of your country. Theos is a weak
State hemmed in by powerful ones. She is to-day the certain prey of
whomever might stretch out his hand--even her ancient enemy the Turk.
So, after all, it is not difficult to offer you good advice. I would
say to you this: Let her seek out the strongest, the most generous of
those environing Powers, and say to her frankly, 'Give me your
protection,' and I believe that for the sake of peace her prayer would
be promptly answered."

Reist was silent. Ughtred, who had been listening intently,
interposed.

"The advice," he said, "sounds well, but it seems to me to have one
weak point. It is her independence which Theos seeks above all things
to retain. The protection of any one Power must surely jeopardize
this."

"By no means," Prince Alexis answered, blandly. "Let us take my own
country for example. Russia is great enough and generous enough to
befriend a weakened state without any question of a _quid pro quo_. A
love of peace is the one great passion which sways my master in all
his dealings. For the sake of it he would do more even than this."

"The Czar does not stand alone," Reist remarked, thoughtfully. "He has
many advisers."

"To whom he listens," Prince Alexis answered, "when it pleases him. It
is said in this country, yes, and in others, that the Czar is a
puppet. We who know only smile. For, my dear Reist, it is true that
there has not reigned in Europe for many years a greater autocrat than
he who sits on the throne of Russia to-day. But to return to the
subject of Theos. Your danger seems to me to lie here. Supposing that
the present state of disquiet continues, or any form of government be
set up which does not seem to promise permanent stability. Then it is
very likely that those stronger countries by whom Theos is surrounded
may, in the general interests of peace, deem it their duty to
interfere."

"Theos," Reist said, proudly, "is not yet a moribund State. She has an
army, and at the first hint of invasion all political differences
would cease."

Prince Alexis smiled, and raised his tiny glass of liqueur.

"Floreat Theos!" he said, lightly. "Long may she continue to retain
her independence--and to know her friends."

They all raised their glasses. From Reist came a whisper, little more
than a breath--

"Long live the King!"




CHAPTER VII


Prince Alexis made the toast the signal for his departure, murmuring
something about a diplomatic reception which his duty forbade him to
ignore. In the lobby Hassen brushed up against him.

"A word with your Highness outside," he murmured.

The Ambassador signified assent by a scarcely-noticeable gesture. He
lit a cigarette and leisurely buttoned his fur coat. A swift glance
towards the little party in the corner showed him that Reist was
missing.

"You had better slip into my carriage quietly," he said to Hassen.
"Our good friend the Duke of Reist is on the lookout somewhere, and it
would be better that he did not see us together."

Hassen nodded, and preceded the Ambassador, who lingered to speak to
some acquaintance. In a few moments he followed, pausing with his foot
upon the carriage steps as though to re-light his cigarette. He looked
quickly up and down the pavement. At the corner of Pall Mall and the
Haymarket a man was standing with his face half turned in their
direction. He shrugged his shoulders and entered the carriage.

"The Duke of Reist is interested," he remarked to Hassen. "Come, my
friend, what have you to say?"

"First of all, then," Hassen began, "your bribe to Metzger was large,
but you will never get your money's worth. You have worked hard for
the political disruption of Theos. It may chance that you have failed
utterly."

The Ambassador nodded pleasantly.

"Possibly," he admitted. "I do not quite follow you, though. Metzger
has been chased from the country. There is no government, no law, no
order. The Powers cannot permit this to continue. A protectorship will
be proposed within a week."

"It will be four days too late," Hassen answered. "In less time than
that Theos will occupy a stronger position politically than ever
before."

"You surprise me," the Ambassador admitted, politely.

"Do you think that the Duke of Reist is the sort of man to be dining
at London restaurants whilst his country bleeds to death!" Hassen
exclaimed. "Bah! His presence here with Ughtred of Tyrnaus to-night is
no chance affair. There is a deep scheme on, and broadly I have
fathomed it."

"Yes?"

"Theos has had enough of Republics. She is going to try a King. It is
Reist himself who put the idea into their heads. He has come as the
envoy of the people to Ughtred of Tyrnaus."

"That," the Ambassador remarked, "will not do at all."

"You think so, knowing nothing of Ughtred of Tyrnaus. I know him well,
and if you wish Theos to become a Russian province he is the very man
in Europe to baulk you. He is brave, shrewd, patriotic, and a fine
soldier. If he ever reaches Theos the people will worship him. He will
make order out of chaos. He will hold the reins and he will be proof
against the wiles of your agents. Short of absolute force you will not
be able to dislodge him."

"He must not reach Theos," the Ambassador said, thoughtfully. "The
man's very physique will win him the throne ... and I believe that you
are right. The House of Tyrnaus has never been friendly towards
Russia. What will your master say, Hassen?"

The man smiled grimly.

"Do we want a soldier King in Theos?" he asked, "when our soldiers are
creeping northwards to the Balkans day by day? You are ready to seize
by intrigue and by stealth--we are preparing to strike a blow of
another sort."

The Ambassador smiled. The Turkish soldiers were brave enough, but in
Constantinople at that moment was a Russian envoy on secret business,
who had very definite instructions as to the occupation of Theos. It
is possible, however, that Prince Alexis had forgotten the fact, for
he did not mention it.

"At least," he said, "one thing is clear. Ughtred of Tyrnaus must be
delayed."

Hassen shrugged his shoulders. The gesture was expressive.

"It will be worth--say five thousand pounds to you," the Ambassador
remarked, carelessly, "to make sure of it."

Hassen nodded and stepped out of the carriage. They had drawn up
before one of the embassies, and his arrival with Prince Alexis was
not a thing to be advertised.

"I shall do my best," he said, slipping away in the crowd.

       *       *       *       *       *

"Why, yes, I shall miss you. Isn't that natural?"

"I hope so," he answered. "I shall never forget these days." She
laughed gaily. The music was playing something very soft and low.
Reist had not yet reappeared.

"Isn't that a little rash, my friend? You love experiences, and you
are going to enter upon a very wonderful life. You are much to be
envied."

"Sara," he said, "you must come to Theos."

She laughed outright in frank and unrestrained merriment.

"You must talk to father," she said. "I dare say he will come. He
loves new countries. Only I'm sure he won't behave properly at Court.
He's a terrible democrat, and he likes to shake hands with everybody."

"He shall shake hands with me as often as he likes," Ughtred said.
"You must remember, Sara, that royalty in Theos is not exactly like
royalty in this country. Why, my whole domain is not so large as some
English counties. I mean to go about my kingdom exactly like a private
individual. Come to Theos, and we will play racquets in the throne
room."

She shook her head.

"The smaller the kingdom, as a rule," she said, "the more
circumstance and etiquette surround the Court. I do not think that you
will be allowed to play racquets in the throne room, or to shake hands
very often with a Chicago stock-jobber, even though he is my father.
We shall come and gaze upon you from afar."

"So long as you will come," he replied, confidently, "we will see
about the rest. Do you know, Sara, it would almost spoil everything if
I felt that this change in my life were to disturb--our friendship."

She drew a long palm leaf through her fingers and let it fall
regretfully. It was cool and pleasant to the touch. A violin, hidden
somewhere amongst the waving green, sent strange notes of melody out
through the court, and a little man, bravely dressed in scarlet and
yellow, bobbed up and down over his instrument. The girl was
thinking--wondering! It was so sudden a change, this. Ughtred Erlito
had been a delightful friend--but Ughtred of Tyrnaus! It was so
strange a transition. She kept her eyes fixed upon the marble floor,
and her heart beat for a moment or two to the sad music of the wailing
violin. Then she sprang to her feet--the folly had passed. With one
sudden movement one of the little ornaments hanging from her bracelet
became detached and rolled away. Ughtred recovered it, and would have
fastened it upon the gold wire, but she stopped him.

"It is my four-leaved clover," she said. "See, I shall give it to you.
May it bring you good fortune. Floreat Theos!"

He held it in his palm--a dainty ornament set with diamonds and
quaintly shaped.

"Do you mean it?" he asked.

"Why, of course," she answered. "If it is not exactly a coronation
present, it will at least help to remind you--of the days before you
were a King."

"I need no trinkets to remind me of some things," he answered,
quietly, "but Theos will give me nothing which I shall prize more than
this. I shall keep it, too, as a pledge of your promise. You will come
to Theos?"

"Yes, I will come," she answered.

Nicholas of Reist was by their side, dark, almost saturnine in his
black evening clothes and tie. His presence had a chilling effect upon
them both. Sara rose to her feet.

"Will you see if you can find father?" she said to Ughtred. "He was
talking to some Americans who went into the restaurant."

He moved away. She turned quickly to Reist.

"I wanted to ask you," she said. "You live in Theos, and you can give
me an idea. What is there that I can send Prince Ughtred for a
coronation present?"

"That is a very difficult question to answer," Reist said. "Will you
not be a little more explicit? A steam yacht would be a present, so
would a cigarette-case."

She nodded quickly.

"Yes! I should have explained. Money is of no consequence at all. I
had thought of a team of horses and a coach."

He was suddenly serious. He eyed the girl with a new curiosity. She
then was one of the daughters of this new world before whose golden
key every Court in Europe had yielded. She was of striking appearance,
perhaps beautiful, instinctively well bred. She might be destined to
play a part in the affairs of Theos.

"'Money is of no consequence at all,'" he repeated, thoughtfully. "We
are poor folk in Theos, Miss Van Decht, and we do not often hear such
words."

"Sometimes I think," she said, "that our wealth is our misfortune. Now
you understand, don't you? Prince Ughtred was very kind to us at Cairo
and on the voyage back, and we have seen quite a little of him in
London. I should like to give him something really useful. Please
suggest something."

"I will take you at your word then, Miss Van Decht," he answered.
"Send him a Maxim-Nordenfeld gun. If you want to be magnificent, send
him a battery."

She looked at him in amazement.

"Do you mean it?" she exclaimed.

"I do," he answered. "Prince Ughtred is a very keen soldier, and he is
never tired of praising these guns. For the first year or two at the
least we shall have troublous times, and a battery of maxims might
save all our lives and the throne. Theos has, alas, no money to spend
in artillery, though her soldiers are as brave as any in the world."

"Father and I will see about it to-morrow," she declared. "Hush! here
they come."

Ughtred was approaching with her father, and watching him it occurred
to her for the first time how well his new part in life would become
him. He was tall and broad, and he moved with the free, easy dignity
of a soldier accustomed to command.

"I have found your father," he said, "and your carriage is waiting. I
thought that if Reist would excuse me for half-an-hour----"

Reist interrupted him at once.

"You must not go away," he declared, earnestly. "Not for five minutes.
Believe me it is necessary."

"My dear fellow----" Ughtred protested.

"Is it possible," Reist exclaimed, with some impatience, "that you do
not recognize the great misfortune of this evening? I was wrong to
allow you to come--to be seen in London with you. Prince Alexis is
more than an ordinary ambassador. He is a born diplomatist, a true
Russian--he is one of the clique who to-day rule the country. With
Hassen's aid he has, without a doubt, surmised the purport of my visit
to you. By this time he is hard at work. Let me tell you that if he
can prevent it you will never set foot in Theos. There must be no more
delay. Come!"

Sarah held out her hand. Her eyes met his frankly.

"The Duke of Reist must be obeyed," she said. "I am sure that he is
right. Good-bye, Prince Ughtred! You are very fortunate, for you have
a great and noble work before you. May you succeed in it. I shall hope
and pray for your success."

A little abruptly she turned away and took her father's arm. The two
men watched them disappear--the little grey-headed man with his
ill-cut clothes, and hard, shrewd face, and the tall, graceful girl,
whose toilette was irreproachable, and whose carriage and bearing
moved even Reist to admiration. They passed down the carpeted way and
through the swing-doors. Then Reist touched his companion on the arm.

"It is half-past eleven," he said. "We are going to catch the twelve
o'clock train from Charing Cross."




CHAPTER VIII


The whistle sounded at last, the train began to glide slowly away from
the almost deserted platform. But at the last moment a man came
running through the booking-office, and made for one of the
compartments. He tugged at the handle, wrenched it open, and was
preparing for a flying leap when an inspector seized him. There was an
altercation, a violent struggle--the man was left upon the platform.
Reist drew a long breath of relief as he settled down in his corner.

"The way these things are managed in England," he said, "it is
excellent."

Ughtred shrugged his shoulders. Reist had been dumb for the last
half-hour, and he was puzzled.

"Will you tell me now," he asked, "the meaning of it all?"

"The meaning of it all is--Hassen!" Reist answered. "How long have you
known him?"

"We fought together in Abyssinia," Ughtred answered, "and I found him
always a capital soldier and a pleasant companion."

"Did you ever ask him where he learnt his soldiering?"

"Once--yes!"

"Did he tell you?"

"I do not think that he did. He told me frankly enough that he had no
past--that it was not to be referred to. There were others like that
in the campaign, men who had secrets to bury, men who sought
forgetfulness, even that forgetfulness which a bullet brings. We were
a strange company enough. But the fighting was good."

"And since then you have met him again in England?"

"I met him at a little fencing-academy six months ago, and since then
we have fenced together continually. But for your recognition of him I
should have written him down as harmless."

A spot of colour burned in Reist's cheek. He ground his heel into the
mat.

"Harmless! He! A Turk! A Russian spy! A double-dealing rogue. Sword in
hand I have chased him through the Kurdistan valley all one night, and
if I had caught him then Russia would have lost a tool and the Sultan
a traitorous soldier. He holds still, although an absentee, a high
command in the Turkish army, and all the while he is in the pay of
Russia. Prince Alexis knows of my mission to you by now, and if we
reach Theos we are lucky, for I do not think that a Tyrnaus upon the
throne of Theos would suit Russia at all."

"I may seem stupid," Ughtred said, seriously, "but it is necessary
that I should understand these things. Why should Russia object so
much to my reinstatement upon the throne of my fathers? Surely of all
the nations of Europe one would expect from her the least sympathy
with a democratic form of government."

"Russia is above all sympathies or antipathies," Reist answered,
bitterly. "She is the most self-centred, the most absolutely selfish
nation on earth. The present state of turmoil in Theos is owing
largely to the efforts of Muscovite secret agents. Russia desires a
weak Theos. She wants to stand behind the government and pull the
strings. It is she whom we have most to fear now."

Ughtred lit a cigar and leaned back in his corner. He was still in his
evening clothes, and he looked doubtfully at the window-panes
streaming with rain.

"Neither Russia nor her agents can interfere with us on neutral soil,"
he remarked. "I wish, Reist, that you had let me send for my bag. I
shall be a very dilapidated object by the time we reach the frontier."

"My wardrobe," Reist answered, "is at your service immediately we are
upon the boat. I am smaller than you, but I have some things which may
be useful. Now I will tell you something which will help to explain my
haste. When first I saw Hassen and Prince Alexis together I understood
that we must change our plans, and I sent for your bag. Your rooms
were then being watched front and back. My servant bribed a postman to
go to your door and ask for you. He discovered that a gentleman was
already in your rooms waiting for you. They are very much in earnest,
these people, my Prince. It will need all our wit to reach Theos."

"We will reach it, though," Ughtred said, softly. "We are on our
guard, and there can be no means of forcibly detaining us. In a
quarter of an hour we shall be at Dover."

Reist nodded. He was examining the chambers of a revolver which he had
drawn from the pocket of a loose ulster.

"Let us remember," he said, "to avoid all strangers and to speak to
no one unless compelled. We know nothing of Theos. We are returning to
Budapesth, and, Prince Ughtred, there is a revolver in the pocket of
your coat also, not for use but for show. We must not be led into a
disturbance with any one. Mind, it is the policy of every one to
detain us if once the object of our journey is known. In Germany we
shall not be safe, in Austria every moment will be perilous. But once
across the frontier nothing will avail. I had news from Theos this
morning. The people are on fire for your coming."

The train slackened speed. The lights of Dover flashed out on either
side. They drew up at the town station and waited there for some
minutes. Reist let down the window and addressed a porter.

"Why do we not go on to the harbour?" he asked. "We are already late."

"There is a special coming in just behind you, sir," the man answered.
"We shall send you both along together."

Reist thanked him and turned to Ughtred with a little laugh.

"So we are to have a travelling companion," he remarked, dryly. "Our
friends are not to be caught asleep. We must watch for the occupant of
this special train. We shall know then against whom we have to be upon
our guard."

They moved slowly on again. Behind them was an engine and a single
carriage. Reist let down both windows, and a fresh salt wind blew in
upon their faces. In a few moments they were at the landing-stage.

Reist leaped lightly out, and Ughtred followed him. Opposite was the
gangway leading to the steamer, through which a little crowd of
passengers were already elbowing their way. They lingered on its
outskirts and watched the single carriage drawn by the second engine.
It drew up within a few feet of them, and a tall, fair young man
handed out his portmanteau to one of the porters and leisurely
descended on to the platform. Ughtred recognized him with a little
exclamation of surprise.

"Why, it's Brand!"

He would have moved forward but for Reist's restraining arm.

"Wait! Who is he?"

"A newspaper man," Ughtred answered. "An honest fellow and a friend. I
will answer for him."

"He was at your rooms with Hassen," Reist said, quickly. "I would
trust no one whom I had seen with that man. Let him pass. We will
follow him on board."

But it was too late. Brand possessed the quick, searching gaze of a
journalist, and already, with a little start of surprise, he had
recognized them.

"Erlito," he exclaimed. "What luck!"

Erlito shook hands with him, laughing. They turned towards the boat
together.

"Have you become a millionaire, my friend," he asked, "that you must
travel in special trains?"

Brand shook his head.

"Personally," he remarked, "I am in my usual lamentable state of
impecuniosity. Nevertheless, for the moment I am representing wealth
illimitable. That is to say, I am in harness again."

Reist looked askance at them both. He did not understand. Ughtred was
suddenly grave.

"I must ask you where you are going," he said. "There is no rumour of
war, is there?"

Brand hesitated.

"Speaking broadly," he answered, "I have no right to tell you. But the
circumstances of our meeting are peculiar. To tell you the truth, I am
bound for Theos."

Reist's face was dark with anger--Ughtred's blank with amazement.
Brand hastened to explain.

"The Duke of Reist," he said, "probably does not understand my
position. I am a special correspondent to the _Daily Courier_. They
send me at a moment's notice to any place where interesting events are
likely to happen. Our chief has been studying the aspect of things in
Theos, and half-an-hour ago I had my route. It was the same, Erlito,
when I travelled with you to Abyssinia!"

Ughtred nodded thoughtfully.

"That is true," he remarked. "Reist, I am sure that we can trust Mr.
Brand. He is not in league with any of those who would hinder us upon
our journey."

"That may be so," Reist answered, "but he knows too much for our
safety. There must be an understanding between us. A single paragraph
in his newspaper to-morrow as to our journey, and we shall have as
much chance of reaching the moon as Theos."

Brand, who was writing upon a telegraph-form, paused at once. They
were on the side of the steamer, remote from the bustle of departure,
and almost alone.

"There is likely to be trouble, then, on the frontier, or before?" he
inquired. "You have opponents?"

"So much so," Reist answered, fiercely, "that if we were in Theos now,
and you talked of filling the newspapers with idle gossip of us and
our affairs, we should not stop to argue the matter with you."

Brand laughed softly.

"I don't want to do you any harm," he said. "We must compromise
matters."

Reist misunderstood him.

"An affair of money," he exclaimed. "I understand. We will give your
paper one, two hundred pounds, to make no mention of Theos for a
week."

Brand glanced at Ughtred with twinkling eyes.

"The special train which brought me here cost more than that, I am
afraid," he said. "Believe me, Duke, it is not a matter of money at
all. The proprietors of my paper are millionaires. What they want is
information. When I spoke of a compromise I meant something entirely
different."

"Perhaps you had better explain exactly what you mean," Reist said,
curtly. "I do not understand this Western journalism. It is new to
me."

Brand nodded.

"Good!" he said. "You want to keep this journey secret until you are
safe in Theos. Very well, I will send no message to my people until
you give me leave. Only you must supply me then with exclusive
information. And you must see that I am the first to cable it from
your country."

"That is an agreement," Reist answered, solemnly. "If you will keep to
that I am satisfied."

They were already in the Channel. A wave broke over the bows of the
vessel, drenching them with spray. Brand led the way down-stairs.

"Since we are to be fellow-passengers," he said, "let us drink to our
prosperous journey--and Theos."

Reist touched Ughtred's arm upon the stairs.

"He is to be trusted, this friend of yours?" he whispered, anxiously.

"Implicitly," Ughtred answered, with emphasis.

"Then we are very fortunate," Reist said, "for it is such a man as
this whom we wanted."




CHAPTER IX


"Monsieur will pardon me!"

Ughtred glanced up, startled. For an hour or more he had been watching
with fascinated eyes the great rolling pine forests through which the
train was rushing. Brand and Reist were in the restaurant-car--Ughtred
was rapidly becoming too excited to eat. They had entered upon the
last stage of their journey. Somewhere away beyond that dim line of
mountains was Theos. So far they had been neither accosted nor
watched. This was the first stranger who had addressed a word to
either of them.

"You wished for a seat here?" Ughtred asked.

The priest, who had come through from the dining-car, held between his
fingers an unlit cigar. His fat, good-humoured face was a little
flushed. He had the appearance of a man who has found his dinner a
satisfactory meal.

"It is your _coupé_, I understand, monsieur," he answered, "but the
smoking-car is full. I wondered if monsieur would permit me to occupy
his friend's seat until he returns. One misses a smoke so much."

He looked longingly at the cigar. Ughtred rose and cleared off the
rugs and papers which were spread over the vacant seats.

"My friends, I am sure, will have no objection," he declared. "I think
that there is room for all of us."

The priest was volubly thankful. He lit his cigar and puffed at it
with obvious pleasure.

"Monsieur is doubtless a great traveller," he remarked, urbanely. "For
me a journey such as this is an event--a wonderful event. Not once in
many years do I leave my people. Monsieur will be amused, but it is
indeed ten years since I found myself in a railway train."

Ughtred was reserved, but the priest was quite willing to bear
the brunt of the conversation so long as he had a listener. It
appeared that he was on his way to visit his brother, who was a
prosperous merchant in Belgrade. And monsieur?--if he were not too
inquisitive--should he have the pleasure of his company all the way?

Ughtred hesitated for the fraction of a second. Reist was passing
along the corridor with imperturbable face, but with his cap in his
hand--an agreed upon sign of danger. So Ughtred, to whom a lie was as
poison, braced himself for the effort.

"I go even farther than you," he declared. "My journey is not ended at
Constantinople."

The priest's fat face was wrinkled into smiles. It was most
fortunate--his own good fortune. For himself he was so unaccustomed to
travel that he found it impossible to read. He was excited--besides,
it gave him the headache. To converse only was possible. But after all
he had no right to inflict himself thus upon monsieur. He had perhaps
affairs to attend to--or he desired to sleep? Ughtred, who found it
impossible to suspect this fat, simple-mannered man so shabbily
dressed, so wrapped in enjoyment of his bad cigar, smiled, and shook
his head. They drifted into conversation. Ughtred learned the entire
village history of Baineuill, and was made acquainted with the names
and standing of each of its inhabitants from Jean the smith to
Monsieur le Comte, who was an infidel, and whose house-parties were as
orgies of the evil one.

"And monsieur," the priest asked, ingenuously, "monsieur is perhaps a
soldier? I have talked so long of my own poor affairs. It must be
tedious."

Just then Reist and Brand passed along the corridor, laughing
heartily. Brand paused, and with a bow to the priest held out a paper
to Ughtred.

"Read that, Brand!" he exclaimed. "These papers are the drollest in
the world."

Ughtred looked up puzzled, but took the paper held out insistently
towards him. At the bottom of an illustration were a few pencilled
words.

"Be careful! Remember! You are W. B. The priest has been asking
questions about us!"

Ughtred read, and smiled. The priest leaned forward.

"It is a joke, eh? Monsieur will permit me also? It is good to laugh."

Brand was equal to the occasion. He took the paper quickly away from
Ughtred.

"Monsieur," he said, removing his cap, "the joke which I pointed out
to my friend has, without doubt, humour, but the journal, as you see,
is for the students. Monsieur will excuse me if I refrain from
offering it to him."

The priest acquiesced with a graver face, and some show of dignity.

"But I fear, monsieur," he said to Brand, "that I am occupying your
seat. You wish to return here, beyond a doubt?"

Brand shook his head.

"By no means, monsieur," he declared. "For the present, at any rate, I
am engaged elsewhere."

They passed along the corridor. Glancing up at the priest, Ughtred was
aware of a slight change in his expression. His brows were contracted,
he was immersed in thought. The change was momentary, however. Soon he
was again chattering away--still always of his own affairs. But there
came a time when he wound up a little speech with a question.

"Is it not so, Monsieur Brand--was not that how your friend called
you?"

Ughtred assented.

"My name is Walter Brand," he answered.

Again there came that faint change in the priest's face.

"Monsieur will not think me curious," he said. "He is perhaps a
soldier?"

Ughtred shook his head.

"I have seen some fighting," he said, "but I am not a soldier. I am a
journalist, if you know what that means--one who writes for the
newspapers. My friend whom you saw speak to me just now is a soldier
by profession."

The priest nodded pleasantly.

"And he, like yourself," he asked, "is he, too, English?"

Ughtred looked around, and lowered his voice.

"He has been in the English army, but he is not an Englishman. He has
had a very unfortunate history. I wish that I could tell it to you,
but the time is too short, and he does not like to be talked about."

The priest's face shone with sympathy.

"Poor fellow!" he murmured.

"Brand!"

They both looked up. Brand himself had entered the _coupé_. There was
a slight frown upon his forehead, and his tone was curt.

"I wish you would explain to the conductor about our tickets," he
said. "He is very stupid, and I cannot make him understand."

Ughtred rose at once and left the _coupé_. Brand bowed gravely to the
priest.

"I trust monsieur will excuse me," he said, "for interrupting what I
am sure must have been a very agreeable conversation."

The slight foreign accent was beautifully done. Brand was as tall as
Ughtred, and although not so broad his carriage was good and his
natural air one of distinction. The priest smiled benignly upon him.

"I fear," he said, "that I have already wearied your friend. My life
must seem so humdrum to him, and to you, who have travelled so far and
seen so much. For I, monsieur, as I have told your friend, have lived
all my days in one quiet country place, and this journey is a great
event for me."

Brand slipped into the vacant seat. In the vestibule Ughtred met
Reist. He drew him into the smoking-compartment. He was very pale,
and his voice shook with emotion.

"The priest," he said, "is a creature of Domiloff's. You were on your
guard?"

Ughtred nodded.

"What a famous fellow Brand is. Up to now, at any rate, his scheme has
worked. He is personating me bravely, and really we are very much
alike."

"He will be too clever for him," Reist said. "It is a matter of time.
Do you know that in half-an-hour we shall be at the frontier?"

"So soon?" Ughtred exclaimed.

"Listen! I had a message from our friends at Limburg. The train will
be searched at the barrier. There will be a determined attempt to
prevent your entering the country. Theos is in a state of hopeless
confusion. The motion to repeal your sentence of banishment is still
before the House of Laws. The Custom officers, and I am afraid the
Government officials, have been heavily bribed by Russia not to pass
you across the frontier."

A bright light flashed in Ughtred's eyes.

"So we shall see," he muttered.

"They have a plan ready for us, no doubt," Reist continued, "and that
priest is in it. Never mind. We shall outwit them. If only your friend
Brand is equal to his part."

"The man is a born actor," Ughtred said. "I left him playing the
Prince as I could never have done it. I do not think that Domiloff's
man will find him out."

Reist pulled the window softly down and looked out. The train was
passing across a high bridge. Below, the river wound its way through a
stretch of rocky, broken country.

"We are barely twenty miles from my home--the castle of Reist is to
the left of the hills there. In a few minutes the train will stop. Be
ready to follow me, and do exactly as I do."

"But we are not timed to stop until we reach Gallona!"

"Never mind," Reist answered. "This will be a stop that does not
appear upon the time-table. It is the plan of those who are working
for us in Theos, and it is good. At the village station of Moschaum
the signals will be against us, and we shall stop. Our task is to
leave the train unseen--it may be difficult, but I have bribed all the
servants, and they are preparing to see nothing. There will be horses
waiting for us--and then--then it will be a gallop for a kingdom."

"The plan seems good enough," Ughtred said, thoughtfully, "and I am in
your hands. But what about Brand?"

Reist shrugged his shoulders.

"He is one of those who love adventure, and I do not think that he can
come to any harm. Let him play out his game. It was his own idea to
personate you, and the risk is his own. Ah!"

There was a sudden slackening of speed. The brakes were on and the
whistle sounding. Reist strolled to the platform of the car as though
to look out, and Ughtred followed him. A conductor unfastened the gate
and slipped away. The train had come to a standstill in a tiny
station, a little wooden building with a cupola, and everywhere
surrounded with a dense forest of pines. Reist looked swiftly round.

"Now," he said. "Follow me."

They slipped from the train on the side remote from the platform, and
in half-a-dozen strides had reached the impenetrable shelter of the
trees. Then there was a whistle. The train crawled onward serpent-like
with its flaring electric lights and the shower of sparks which flew
upwards from the engine. An hour later Ughtred, riding in silence and
at breakneck speed with Reist at his elbow crossed the frontier of his
kingdom.




CHAPTER X


"Prince Ughtred of Tyrnaus."

Brand awoke from a hideous nightmare, sat up on a rude horsehair
couch, and held his head with both hands. He was conscious of a sense
of nausea, burning temples, and a general indisposition to take any
interest in his surroundings. He sank back upon his pillow.

"Oh, rot," he murmured. "Go away, please."

There was a short silence, then footsteps, and the newcomer bent over
the sofa.

"Drink this."

The invitation was alluring. Brand's throat was like a limekiln. He
sat up and took the proffered tumbler into his hands. The liquid was
cold and sparkling--almost magical in its effects. He drained it to
the last drop, and then looked curiously about him.

"Where the mischief am I?" he asked; "and who are you?"

The newcomer stood in the light from the window. He was a short and
thick-set man, with iron-grey hair and black moustache slightly
upturned. He had a pallid skin and keen grey eyes. His manner was at
once grave and conciliatory.

"Your memory, Prince," he remarked, "is scarcely so good as mine. I
have had the pleasure of seeing you but once before, yet I think that
I should have recognized you anywhere."

"Oh, would you!" Brand remarked, beneath his breath.

"I will recall myself to your memory," the other continued, blandly.
"My name is Domiloff!"

"Domiloff, of course," Brand echoed. "You are still----"

"Still the representative of Russia to the State of Theos. It is
true."

"And where am I?" Brand asked, looking around the bare, lofty room
with some surprise; "and what am I here for?"

"You are in the House of Customs at Gallona. I met the train at the
frontier to secure the honour of a little conversation with you before
you proceeded to the capital. I found you exceedingly unwell, and took
the liberty of bringing you here that you might have the opportunity
of resting a little before completing your journey."

Brand rose slowly to his feet. He was still giddy, but rapidly
recovering himself. His last distinct recollection was the coffee
which he and the priest had ordered in their _coupé_. There was a
peculiar taste--a swimming in his head--afterwards blank
unconsciousness.

"You have been most considerate, I am sure," he said, slowly. "I am
glad to have your explanation, otherwise my presence here, under the
circumstances, might have suggested unpleasant things to me."

Domiloff's lips parted in an inscrutable smile. He remained silent.

"I might have remembered," Brand continued, "that I was travelling
with two friends. What has become of them?"

Domiloff shrugged his shoulders.

"It was most unfortunate," he declared. "The train pulled up for a
moment at a wayside station, and they appear to have descended--and to
have been left behind."

Brand nodded.

"I might also have remembered," he continued, stroking his moustache
thoughtfully, "a priest whose interest in his fellow-passengers was a
little extraordinary--a cup of coffee pressed upon me, a queer
taste--bah! Why waste time? I was drugged, sir, with your connivance,
no doubt, and brought here. What is the meaning of it?"

Domiloff shrugged his shoulders.

"You assume too much, my dear Prince," he declared, blandly. "Let us
not waste time by fruitless discussion. I will admit that I was
particularly anxious to have a few minutes' quiet conversation with
you before you entered the capital. The opportunity is here. Let us
avail ourselves of it."

"Well?"

Domiloff coughed. He had expected a torrent of indignation and abuse.
His guest's nonchalance was a little disquieting.

"You are entering," he said, "upon a troublesome inheritance."

"Well?"

"It is an inheritance," Domiloff continued, "which you can neither
possess yourself of, nor hold, without powerful friends."

"Well?"

"My country is willing to be your friend."

"Your country," Brand remarked, quietly, "is renowned throughout the
world for her generosity."

Domiloff bowed.

"You do us, sir," he said, "no more than justice."

Brand smiled.

"Well! Go on!"

"Theos is in a state of hopeless confusion," Domiloff remarked. "It is
very doubtful whether the actual state of the country has been
represented to you. The people are all clamouring for they know not
what, law and order seem to be things of the past. South of the
Balkans the Turks are massing; northwards, the mailed hand of Austria
is slowly being extended."

"And Russia?" Brand asked. "It is not her custom to remain in the
background."

"Russia," Domiloff said, "desires to be your friend. She will secure
for you the throne, and she will guarantee your independence."

"At what price?"

Domiloff shrugged his shoulders.

"You are very suspicious, my dear Prince," he said. "My master does
not sell his favours. He asks only for a reasonable recognition of
your gratitude. I have here the copy of a treaty which will secure you
against any foreign interference in the affairs of your kingdom. Its
advantages to you and to Theos are so obvious that it is idle for me
to waste time by enlarging upon them. Read it, my Prince."

"I shall be charmed," Brand exclaimed, stretching out his hand for it.

"You would doubtless prefer," Domiloff said, "to look it through
alone. I will return in half-an-hour."

"You are very thoughtful," Brand answered. "By the bye, you will
excuse my denseness, but I am not quite clear as to our exact
relations at the present moment. I am, I presume, at Gallona?"

The Baron bowed.

"It is indisputable!"

"At an hotel?"

"You are," Domiloff declared, "my honoured guest."

"Is it part of your diplomacy to starve me?" Brand asked, coolly, "or
may I have some breakfast?"

Domiloff touched the bell.

"My dear Prince!" he exclaimed, deprecatingly.

A servant entered with a tray--cold meats and a flask of wine. Outside
the window a sentry walked up and down. Brand eyed him thoughtfully.

"I think that I should like a stroll," he remarked. "My head is still
heavy."

Domiloff advanced, and laid his hand upon his shoulder.

"My dear Prince," he said, "I beg that for the present you will not
think of it. It is of the utmost importance that your presence upon
the soil of Theos should not be suspected. I have a special train
waiting to take you to the capital. Until we start it will be far
better, believe me, that you do not attempt to leave this room."

"At what hour do we start?" Brand asked.

Domiloff hesitated.

"It depends," he said, slowly, "upon circumstances."

Brand sat down and poured himself out a glass of wine.

"That means when I have signed the treaty, I suppose?"

Domiloff was already at the door. He affected not to hear.

"If your Highness will ring when you are prepared to give me an
audience," he said, "I shall be entirely at your service."

       *       *       *       *       *

Brand ate and drank, threw himself into an easy-chair, and lit a
cigarette. Presently he tried the handle of the door. It was locked.
He moved to the window and looked out. Below was an old courtyard
enclosed within high grey walls and iron gates, through which he could
catch a glimpse of the town. The wide, open space, half square, half
market-place, was crowded with people in strange costume, having
baskets of fruit and vegetables, before which they squatted and called
out their wares. Beyond were houses with vivid, whitewashed fronts,
red roofs, and narrow windows. At the gates were stationed two
soldiers in red tunics and broad white trousers, very baggy, and
tucked into their boots. They were bareheaded, and they smoked long
cigarettes, chattering meanwhile to one another and the people around
in a dialect which to Brand was like a nightmare. He watched them for
a while, and laughed softly to himself. This was an adventure after
his own heart.

He looked at his watch. It was three o'clock.

"So Reist and the Prince were left behind," he murmured. "It was very
well arranged. By now they should be on their way to the capital. I
must make this last out as long as possible. What a coup!"

He lit another cigarette, and turned the treaty over in his hands.
Here he met with a disappointment. There were two copies, one in
Russian, the other in the Thetian language. He could not read either.
After a few moments' deliberation he rang the bell.

Domiloff hurried in, expectantly.

"You are ready for me?" he asked. "You have read our proposals? You
will perhaps now be disposed to admit the generosity of my master?"

Brand shrugged his shoulders.

"As yet," he said, coolly, "I am in a position to admit nothing. As a
matter of fact, I cannot read this document. I cannot read Russian,
and I have forgotten nearly all Thetian. You must have a copy made for
me quickly either in French or English."

Domiloff started. A momentary shade of suspicion darkened his
forehead.

"Forgotten your Thetian, Prince?" he exclaimed. "Your native tongue!"

"You forget that I have been an exile from Theos ever since I was a
child," Brand answered. "I can understand a word or so here and there,
but that is not sufficient. It is necessary that I should have an
exact and precise comprehension of your proposals."

Domiloff took up the document.

"I will make a copy myself," he said. "It will not take long. I hope
that you will soon find your recollection of the language revive,
Prince. You will find the people sensitive about it."

Domiloff seated himself at the table, and for some time there was
silence in the room except for the scratching of his pen. Brand
lounged in the easy-chair--amused himself by speculating as to the end
of his adventure. Presently there was a sharp tap at the door. A
messenger entered, and conversed for awhile with Domiloff in Russian.
He was dismissed with a few rapid orders. Domiloff turned round in his
chair and faced Brand.

"Prince Ughtred," he said, "I have disturbing news from the capital.
The disorder in the city is so great that the Powers must intervene at
once unless some decisive step be taken. I have finished my
translation. Sign it and you shall enter into your kingdom before
sunset."

Brand smiled.

"I will give you my answer," he said, "in ten minutes."

Domiloff bowed.

"I shall await your decision, Prince," he said. "Only remember this.
To-night there must be a King of Theos or a Protectorate."




CHAPTER XI


The ten minutes became half-an-hour. Domiloff at last lost patience
and knocked at the door. Brand, who had just finished a shorthand copy
of the treaty, and had tucked it within the inner sole of his boot,
realized the fact that he had reached the end of his tether.

"Come in," he called out cheerfully.

Domiloff entered and closed the door behind him.

"I cannot understand your Highness's indecision," he said,
impatiently. "The document which I have had the honour to submit for
your approval is one of the most simple and straightforward which was
ever written. And while you hesitate, Prince, your kingdom passes
away. Every moment affairs in the capital draw nearer to a crisis."

Brand leaned back in his chair. He looked no longer at the manuscript.
It was evident that his decision was taken.

"It seems to me," he said, quietly, "that my kingdom passes away none
the less surely when I sign this paper. Your terms, Baron Domiloff,
amount to a Russian Protectorate. Our trade is to be yours, and yours
only. Russian is to be taught in our schools, and Russians are to
control our army and our customs. What will Theos gain in return for
this?"

"Her independence will be guaranteed. Russia will be her faithful
friend!"

"Her independence!" Brand smiled. "Her independence will be rather a
tattered garment."

Domiloff shrugged his shoulders.

"Prince," he said, "you scarcely yet know the nature of your
inheritance. Theos is a small, weak State, hemmed in with powerful
nations. One of the Powers must needs to be her protector. Russia,
ever generous, offers herself. Without her aid you could not hold your
kingdom for an hour."

Brand sighed.

"Well," he said, slowly, "supposing I agree--will you tell me this?
How can I sign a treaty before I am King?"

Domiloff touched the paper with his forefinger.

"That has been provided for," he said. "What you will sign is a
promise to ratify the treaty on your accession to the throne."

Brand shook his head.

"As a private individual," he said, "my signature is worth nothing.
Further, I decline to sign a paper which might at any future time be
brought up against me, and cost me the respect and allegiance of my
people."

Domiloff looked anxious. A moment ago the affair had seemed settled.

"What do you propose, then?" he asked.

"I will swear upon my honour," Brand said, "and before witnesses if
you desire it, that I will sign the treaty whenever you require it
after my accession to the throne."

Domiloff hesitated, made up his mind to yield, and yielded gracefully.

"It is sufficient," he declared. "The honour of the House of Tyrnaus
has never been questioned. But there is one more promise which I must
ask you to add. The Governor of the Customs, in whose house we now
are, has acted as a patriot and a wise man in conjunction with me."

"I understand," Brand said, with a quiet smile. "He shall be held
harmless, so far as I am concerned."

Domiloff vanished for a moment, and reappeared followed by a
soldierly-looking young man in dark blue uniform of decidedly Russian
appearance, and an olive-skinned, black-bearded civilian, with shifty
eyes and nervous manner. They both bowed low before Brand, who drew
himself up to his full height and eyed them scornfully.

"These are your witnesses, Baron?" he asked Domiloff.

Domiloff assented.

"Captain Barka," he said, "who is in command of the barracks here, is
one of the most gallant and faithful officers in the army of Theos.
Mr. Omardine is Governor of the Customs, and a civic magistrate."

Brand regarded them coldly.

"You are here," he said, "to listen to these words of mine. On the
sacred honour of the House of Tyrnaus, and before the God of Theos, I
swear that whenever I may be asked after my accession to the throne of
this country, I will sign the treaty which I hold now in my right
hand. And further, I swear not to divest of his office or punish in
any way for their treachery, Captain Barka or Mr. Omardine, your two
witnesses."

The two men started. Omardine turned pale and glanced at Domiloff with
furtive eyes. Barka laid his hand for a moment upon the hilt of his
sword, and the deep colour dyed his cheeks. Domiloff stepped hastily
forward.

"It is sufficient, your Highness," he said; "but I must protest
against the word 'treachery' being used as applying to either of these
gentlemen. They have simply studied the best interests of their
country in recognizing that her destiny is identical with that of
Russia."

Brand turned his back upon them.

"So far as their safety is concerned," he said, "I have passed my
word. My opinions are my own. Will you tell me, Baron, at what time
you propose to release me?"

"If your Highness will accept my escort," Domiloff said, "I propose to
leave for the capital at once."

"The sooner the better," Brand declared.

"Then there remains only for your Highness to put on the uniform which
I have sent for," Domiloff remarked, touching the bell.

"What uniform?" asked Brand, quickly.

"The uniform of a Colonel in the Guards of Theos," Domiloff answered.
"Here it is."

A servant entered, carrying a suit of gorgeous light blue and white
uniform. Barka and Omardine respectfully withdrew.

"I see no need at all for me to wear these things," Brand exclaimed,
glancing in bewilderment at the many trappings and strange fastenings.
"I will go as I am. There will be plenty of time afterwards for this
sort of thing."

"It is impossible," Domiloff interrupted. "Your Highness seems to
forget that your throne has yet to be won. The people have had enough
of civilians. You must appear before them as a soldier, and they will
shout you King till their throats are hoarse and the water stands in
their eyes. They are a dramatic people, lovers of effect. They must be
taken by storm. I cannot offer your Highness a valet, but perhaps I
can be of assistance."

Brand yielded, but not without secret misgivings. With his clothes a
certain part of his easy confidence departed. His share in the game
was no longer to be a purely passive one. With the donning of this
uniform to which he had no manner of claim he entered the lists of
intrigues boldly, as an impostor and masquerader. Under certain
circumstances the way out might be difficult.

Domiloff watched him make his toilet with a certain curiosity. It was
odd that a military man should be so much embarrassed by buckles and
straps, yet when all was completed he was bound to admit that the
result was satisfactory enough. Brand was a good-looking fellow, and
he looked the part.

"Your Highness will be so good now as to follow me," Domiloff
directed. "A carriage is waiting to take us to the station."

A guard of honour surrounded the open landau, whose military salute
Brand gravely returned. The news of his arrival had quickly spread.
The country people thronged around, shouting and cheering. The air
was rent with strange, barbaric cries. Their short drive to the
railway station was a triumphal progress. Brand alone was wholly
uncomfortable. Surely amongst all this press of people there would be
some one to whom Prince Ughtred was known. They reached the station,
however, without incident, and amidst ever-increasing enthusiasm. A
handsome saloon was drawn up to the carpeted platform, and a cordon of
soldiers kept the station clear. In less than five minutes they were
off.

Brand unbuckled his sword, and threw his helmet up in the rack. Then
he made himself comfortable in an easy-chair, ostensibly to sleep, in
reality to think out the situation.

"How long will it take us to reach the capital?" he asked.

"Two hours," Domiloff answered. "Sleep for a time if you like. You may
make yourself quite easy. My arrangements for your reception are
complete. You will receive a tremendous ovation. The news of your
coming has electrified the city."

Brand's gratification at the prospect was certainly not apparent.
However, he closed his eyes, and relapsed into thought. Two hours! He
reckoned it all out. His knowledge of the geography of the country was
slight, but it seemed to him impossible that Prince Ughtred and Reist
could yet have reached the capital. So far all that he had done had
been good. The difficulty which confronted him now was to select the
proper moment for his avowal, and, having made it, to escape. He
foresaw difficulties. Domiloff was not a man to be made a fool of
lightly. His one comforting reflection was that when the explosion did
come he would be safer in Theos than in a frontier town which was
obviously under Russian influence.

Slowly the train wound its way across a rocky and difficult country,
a country of mountains, woods, and rivers, valleys rich with
corn-tracts, tiny villages whose gleaming white homesteads made
picturesque many a hillside. Brand sat quite still with half-closed
eyes. Presently the door of the saloon opened, and closed again
softly. Domiloff looked in and withdrew. Then there came the sound
of voices from the next compartment. Listening intently, Bland caught
a word or two here and there.

"Absolutely impossible.... I saw him in Paris after the Algerian
campaign ... thinner, that is all.... Reist and the English journalist
were simply left ... _planté là_. Hernoff planned everything."

"Mistakes.... He does not make mistakes. If I believed it I would
shoot him like a dog. You have your revolver, too. Good! Oh, yes, he
will sign! It will be a record reign. It may last a month. They will
see that he is under the thumb of Russia. No, he is fast asleep. After
Hernoff's medicine one is sleepy for days."

The voices died away. They passed through a little wayside station gay
with flags, and the train began to descend a series of gradients.
Below was a great fruitful plain, bounded southwards by a range of
towering mountains. Far away westwards was a huge ascent to a
wide-spreading table-land. Brand sat with his eyes fixed steadily upon
it, and a queer little smile upon his lips. He was sufficiently aware
of his surroundings to know that there was the fortress capital of
Theos.

He heard footsteps, and closed his eyes again. Domiloff entered the
saloon, and shook him by the arm. He awoke with a drowsy murmur.

"Wake up, your Highness! We are within a few miles of the capital."

Brand sat up.

"All right," he said. "I am ready. But how my head aches."

Domiloff smiled grimly, and thrust a sheet of paper into his hand.

"It will pass off," he said. "See, this is your speech. Learn it. It
will not be wise for you to address the people in any save their own
language."

Brand took the sheet of unintelligible characters into his own hand.
He looked blankly at it.

"Read it to me," he said. "Let me hear how it sounds."

Domiloff declaimed and translated it. Brand listened thoughtfully.
Apparently the return of Ughtred of Tyrnaus to the throne of his
forefathers was solely owing to a benevolent desire on the part of
Russia to bring to Theos an era of unparalleled peace and prosperity.
Far away a gleam of white and grey towers flashed upon the hillside.
Villages became more plentiful. They were nearing the capital.




CHAPTER XII


Once more the men and women of Theos thronged the streets of their
time-worn capital. A thousand torches flared in the open space before
the palace. Lanterns and flags waved from all the principal houses and
public buildings. Only the great Reist mansion was silent and gloomy,
and many questioning eyes were turned towards it.

"It was the Duke himself who has brought Ughtred of Tyrnaus here,"
muttered one. "Yet his house is dark and empty, and no man has seen
him."

"There is something strange about it," said another, "and I like not
the wolf Domiloff at the shoulder of a Tyrnaus."

"Please God, the son may not be like the father!"

"Let us see him," cried another. "Come--shout!"

So the air shook with the roar of voices, and servants in the blue
Tyrnaus livery came out upon the balcony of the brilliantly-lit palace
and spread a carpet. But the man whom they longed to see lingered.

Domiloff argued with him in vain. He was unaccountably obstinate.

"It is the Duke of Reist who should stand by my side when first I
speak to my people," he declared, coolly. "It is he who brought me
from England, not you. He must be my sponsor. If he is not here I will
wait."

Domiloff was naturally furious. He had been at considerable pains to
insure the absence of Reist from the capital on this occasion, and his
inopportune return would amount to a disaster. On the other hand, the
populace were fast working themselves up into a state of frenzy. Let
this man show himself, and the success of his coup was assured. It was
unpardonable hesitation. He trembled with rage. In the King's palace,
in his own chamber, he had lost for the moment his hold upon this man.
It was the one weak spot in his carefully thought-out scheme. It was
the one contingency against which he was comparatively helpless.

"You are losing a golden opportunity, Prince," he declared. "Your
hesitation is a crime. The people are on fire to see you. They will
shout you King with one voice. Give to Reist all the glory if you
will, but, if you would win your kingdom, out on to the balcony and
show yourself. Hear them!"

The roar of voices sounded like thunder from the street below. Brand
smoked on stolidly.

"I shall wait one hour for the Duke of Reist," he decided. "At the end
of that time, if he has not arrived, I will reconsider the matter."

Domiloff, who did not expect the Duke of Reist in an hour, was forced
to acquiesce.

"I will send messengers out amongst the people," he said. "I will let
them know that you are worn out with travelling, but that in an hour
you will address them. Shall it be so?"

"You can do as you like," Brand answered, quietly. "I make no
promises."

Domiloff withdrew, furious. Brand was left alone. He was a journalist
of the modern type, and he had been in a good many tight corners. His
nerves were of iron, his courage indomitable, and his sense of humour
prodigious. But this was getting beyond a joke. He was in a
_cul-de-sac_. Escape was scarcely to be hoped for, disclosure would
certainly cost him his life. Nevertheless, as the roar of voices
mounted again to his ears the corners of his mouth twitched and his
eyes shone with laughter. He found himself longing for pen and paper,
wondering how much of this he dare use as copy. Then the clock struck.
He became instantly grave. After all, an hour was a short time. He
concentrated his thoughts once more upon the situation.

On one point he was resolved. He would not carry his personation any
further. He would not present himself to the people of Theos as an
impostor, with Domiloff for his introducer, and unable to frame a
single sentence in the language of his supposed forefathers. The
speech which Domiloff had written out for him was, of course, an
impossibility. Some time to-night the Prince and Reist must surely
arrive, and the situation then might become possible. Failing that, he
could see nothing but chaos.

Half-an-hour had passed, but he was not greatly disturbed. He had a
touch of that beautiful faith which is the heritage of the born
adventurer. He was content to wait for something to turn up. He threw
away the end of his cigar and walked slowly up and down the great
vaulted room. The ceiling was of extraordinary height, and the wooden
panels which covered the walls were black with age and beautifully
carved. He paused before one of them to examine the design, and
passed his fingers lightly over the figure of a priest who knelt by
the side of a wounded man in armour. It was a rugged but wonderful
representation. Suddenly he started back as though he had been shot.
The priest was being split down the middle before his eyes.

He stood rigid. Even his nerves were scarcely proof against this sort
of thing. The head of the wounded knight had parted from his body, and
the legs of the priest were every moment drawing further apart. He
approached the panel gingerly. It was not fancy. There was a long,
thin crack from the floor to the tapestry border, which stood about
six feet high. Whilst he watched, it widened. He slipped his hand into
his pocket and drew out his revolver.

From one inch to two--to half a foot, and then wide open, the panel
slid back. Brand uttered a soft cry of amazement. A woman, dark,
slender, and beautiful, stood upon the threshold of what seemed to be
a passage, herself almost as motionless as a painted figure. Her eyes
met his with a challenging light, her pose was imperious. Diamonds
flashed from her neck and bosom, and her hair was coiled upon her head
coronet-like, after the manner of the women of Theos. Her black gown
was cut in a manner unknown to western dressmakers--to Brand she
seemed like a wonderful Italian picture of the middle ages stepped
bodily from its frame. He lowered his revolver, and took a quick step
backward. Then to his surprise, she spoke to him in English,
haltingly, but with perfect distinctness.

"Lock the door."

The sound of his native language made a new man of Brand. His senses
were no longer dazed.

"It is--already locked," he answered.

She took a step forward, and before he could divine her purpose sank
gently on one knee in a wonderful courtesy. He took the slim white
hand, and bowed low over it.

"You are Ughtred of Tyrnaus?" she said, eagerly. "Is it not so?"

He laughed quietly.

"It is the first time," he said, "that I have been asked the question.
Personation seems to come natural to me."

She looked at him intently, and the fine, dark eyebrows were drawn a
little closer together.

"I am not very quick at speaking English," she said. "You are Ughtred
of Tyrnaus?"

"Well, I am supposed to be," he admitted.

"Then where is my brother?" she demanded. "Why is he not with you?"

He looked at her, puzzled.

"Forgive me," he said. "I am rather stupid. What is your brother's
name, and who are you?"

Her eyes gleamed with suspicion. Was it not obvious who she was?

"I am the Countess Marie of Reist," she said. "Will you answer me
quickly?"

He divined the likeness at once.

"And do you live--in the wall?" he asked.

She frowned imperiously.

"If you indeed are Ughtred of Tyrnaus," she said, "you should know
that the Reist house adjoins the palace, and that this passage has
been in existence since the days of King Rudolph. Tell me what you
have done with my brother Nicholas, and how it happens that you have
entered the city without him, and in company with Domiloff the wolf."

He smiled. His optimism was justified. Something had turned up.

"You must allow me to make a confession, Countess," he said, easily.
"I am not Ughtred of Tyrnaus. The Prince is on his way to the city
with your brother, and, to tell you the truth, if they do not arrive
here very soon my position will become extremely uncomfortable."

She withdrew within the shelter of the panel and regarded him
haughtily.

"You say that you are not Ughtred of Tyrnaus," she exclaimed. "Then
who are you? An impostor! Yes! You are in the royal chamber, and even
now the people call for you. You are a tool of Domiloff's. Good! The
people shall know that they are being deceived!"

He was only just in time to seize her by the wrist. She wrenched
herself free with a furious little cry, but he blocked her escape.

"Countess," he said, with perfect respect, but with a gleam of
laughter in his eyes, "pray do not desert me, for I am a friend of
your brother's, and especially of Prince Ughtred's. I am not
masquerading for the fun of the thing, I can assure you, but solely to
outwit Domiloff. Permit me to explain, The fact is, I need your help."

She eyed him coldly. The touch of his fingers seemed burning still
upon her wrist.

"Well?"

"Three of us left England together," Brand said. "Your brother, Prince
Ughtred, and myself--Walter Brand, a newspaper writer and a person of
no importance. I won't stop to tell you how I became one of the party.
It isn't of any consequence, and time is. I happen to slightly
resemble Prince Ughtred, and we got scent of a plot to stop our
entrance into Theos. Well, Prince Ughtred and I exchanged identities.
The consequences were these. The Prince and your brother left the
train secretly before we left the frontier, I was drugged, and awoke
to find myself _tête-à-tête_ with a remarkably gentlemanly personage
called Domiloff."

Her eyes flashed fire. She came a little further into the room.

"Ah! Well!"

"He took me for granted in the kindest possible manner--waived aside
the matter of my abduction--affected to consider me as an afternoon
caller. He introduced politics in a casual sort of way. Russia I found
was the great and generous friend of Theos. Russia was pining for the
friendship of Theos."

She interrupted him with a fierce little gesture of contempt.

"The hound! Russia is our enemy! It was she who sought to buy our
freedom from Metzger, the merchant, for a million pounds."

He nodded.

"Exactly. However, I had to listen to him. In the end he produced a
treaty--Russian protection for Theos in exchange for every shred of
independence she possessed. If I would swear before witnesses to sign
it when I became King, I might proceed, and Domiloff himself would be
my escort. If I refused--well, I think then that other things were in
store for me. After a becoming show of hesitation I promised to
sign--when I was King. Then Domiloff hustled me along here. I have
delayed things as long as possible, but it's getting a little
uncomfortable. Domiloff can't understand why I won't go and speak to
the people. If I declare myself, he will shoot me on sight. What I
have been praying for is a chance to escape, or that your brother and
the Prince might turn up."

She regarded him with unfeigned admiration.

"I did you an injustice," she said. "I see that you are a very brave
man, and we in Theos love brave men."

He bowed before her so gallantly and looked into her eyes so closely
that a wave of colour flushed in her cheeks. A distant sound in the
Palace, however, brought them to a swift sense of the danger which
threatened him.

"You see," he explained, "I was bound to keep it up as long as I
could, or Domiloff would have tried to prevent your brother and the
Prince from reaching the capital. Besides, since I have read the
proposed treaty they would never allow me to escape alive."

She nodded slowly.

"Yes, that is so. It would not be well that you speak first to the
people with Domiloff at your elbow, but if it comes to a matter of
life or death you must do it. I will send servants and horses to
hasten my brother's coming, and you must continue the personation."

"There is an objection," he replied, quickly. "I do not know a single
word of your language, and to speak for the first time to the people
in any other would do the Prince a great injury with them."

She reflected for a moment. Then her face lit up. She pointed down the
passage.

"I think," she said, "that it would be a very good time for Prince
Ughtred to disappear. You shall come with me."

Brand hesitated.

"But, Countess," he protested, "they will search your house. You will
be accused of harbouring an impostor."

She dismissed the idea with a gesture of superb contempt.

"The Reist House," she assured him, "is secure against Domiloff or any
of his creatures. I offer you its shelter, sir. I beg you to come with
me."

Still he hesitated. A fresh murmur arose from the swelling crowd
without--footsteps were heard in the corridor--the hour struck. She
laid her fingers upon his arm, and looked upward into his face.

"Sir," she said, softly, "I beg that you will come with me."

Brand felt his heart beating with more than the mere excitement of the
moment. He yielded. She pressed a spring with her finger, and the
panel rolled slowly back into its place.




CHAPTER XIII


Up the steep ascent to the capital two men galloped their tired horses
in stern silence. For twelve hours they had ridden with scant waste of
breath in speech. Only at each change, and seven times since break of
day, had they changed horses. Prince Ughtred had lit a fresh cigar and
asked the same question and met with the same reply.

"How goes it, Nicholas?"

"We keep up with the time. Forward!"

As they neared the capital they rode through a stream of people
wending their way citywards. Reist drew rein.

"Whither away, friends?"

"To the capital, sir. Prince Ughtred of Tyrnaus, our future King, is
there. We go to greet him."

The two men exchanged quick glances as they rode on.

"I do not understand it," Reist admitted. "Our coming is unannounced.
A certain amount of secrecy was necessary. Something strange seems to
have happened."

By degrees their progress along the narrow road grew more and more
difficult. The country folk thronged the thoroughfare, gay in
picturesque holiday attire, many of them singing a strange national
air which stirred in Ughtred's heart some faint echo of far-away
recollections. He watched them eagerly, and his heart swelled with
pride. A fine, stalwart race, with the free swinging walk of
mountaineers, bright-eyed, clear-skinned, with cheeks as brown as
berries. His dormant patriotism, already awakened by his long ride
through the beautiful, dimly-familiar country, beat in his heart. He
would rule these people as his children, and though he died sword in
hand the yoke of the conqueror should never bow their shoulders. It
was a great task--a great heritage.

A train, brilliant with lights, glided serpent-like over the high
viaduct to their left. A murmur arose from amongst the people.

"The Prince," they cried. "The Prince."

"What does it mean?" Ughtred asked.

"God only knows," Reist answered, bewildered.

At the station a cordon of soldiers blocked the way. The two men
spurred on into the front ranks. Amongst a thunder of acclamation they
saw Domiloff and Brand in his brilliant uniform take their places in
the waiting carriage. They were speechless.

"To the palace," Reist cried at last. "Come, Ughtred; there's some
damned underhand plotting going on."

"It was Brand!" Ughtred exclaimed. "Brand in the uniform of the Theos
Guards. Is the man mad?"

"I do not think that it was Brand at all," Reist answered, fiercely.
"It is a plot of that accursed Russian. Way, good people, way!"

But the people, good-natured though they were, were wedged too thickly
to let them pass. At last in a rush they were almost unhorsed. A
direct progress to the palace was impossible. Reist turned up a side
street.

"We will go to my house," he said. "It will take us some time this
way, but we shall never succeed in reaching the palace."

       *       *       *       *       *

The panel slid back behind them, and closed with a spring. From some
place upon the wall invisible to him the Countess took a small silver
lamp, and carefully lit it. Then holding it high over her head she
turned towards Brand.

"You must follow me closely," she said. "The way is narrow, and there
are steps. Listen!"

They both stood for a moment with bated breath. In the room behind was
tumult. There were angry voices, the ringing of bells, bewildered
exclamations.

"It is my friend, Domiloff," Brand whispered. "I am afraid that he has
lost his temper. I might at least have left a note."

She motioned him to follow her.

"You are quite safe," she declared. "The secret passage has not been
used for many years. It is unknown to any within the palace. I do not
know what made me think of it to-night."

"It was," Brand remarked, "a remarkable piece of good fortune for me.
I do not fancy that our friend Domiloff in a passion would be at all a
pleasant companion."

Her face hardened.

"Domiloff," she said, "is a traitor and a ruffian. When I saw you
alone with him and without Nicholas I knew that something must have
happened. My brother would never have suffered him to have stood by
your side to-night. This way."

They stepped into a large dimly-lit room, with high panelled walls and
a vaulted roof. The door rolled back behind them. The girl passed her
hands along the wall till even the crack was invisible. Then she moved
to the table and struck a gong.

"You must need wine," she said. "Basil!"

A grey-haired old servant entered the room, and at the sight of Brand
would have fallen upon one knee, but the girl stopped him.

"Basil, this is not Prince Ughtred," she said, "but a friend of his
and ours who has been taking the Prince's place in order that Domiloff
might be deceived. Bring us some wine."

Brand drank from the long Venetian glass, and afterwards sank
gratefully into the high-backed chair to which she motioned him. At
her request he told her everything which had happened since the coming
of Reist to London. And from below there came to them often the murmur
of the waiting crowds.

She was superbly devoid of nerves. She had no manner of apprehension.

"They will come," she said, "and the people will wait. Tell me some
more of your wonderful London."

"You have never been there?" he exclaimed in astonishment.

She shook her head.

"No, nor in Paris even. No further west than Vienna."

"It is incredible," he murmured.

"And why incredible?" she asked him, with delicately upraised
eyebrows. "I do not understand. Theos is my home--those places are
nothing to me. Whilst I was in Vienna I was miserable. All was hurry
and bustle. There was so little dignity, so little repose. I do not
think that people who live in such places can understand what it is to
love one's homeland. Everywhere, too, even amongst the aristocracy,
one met vulgar people. Shopkeepers and merchants who had made very
much money mixed freely with the nobles. They tell me that in England
it is also like this. In Theos I think that we are wiser."

She spoke simply--as one who points out a grievous impropriety. Brand
smiled.

"I have heard your country spoken of as one of the most aristocratic
in the world," he remarked. "I think that it must be true."

"From what I have seen," she answered, "it may be so. There are very
little of the old nobility left in Theos, but we are content to let
them die out rather than to raise to their ranks those who have
enriched themselves with commerce. We believe that our way is best."

"And you yourself?" he asked. "Tell me how you occupy yourself. You
have friends--amusements?"

She shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly.

"My brother has large estates," she said, "and with them come many
duties. I see that our peasant women are properly brought up, and that
they retain their skill in lace work. Then there is music, and when we
are at Castle Reist we hunt. It is true that I have not many friends
of my own order, but that is scarcely to be expected. The care of so
many of those who are dependent upon one is a very absorbing duty. We
give a dowry to every girl who marries suitably amongst our own
people. For many generations this has been a religion with us. Tell
me, then, is it not so with the maidens of your country?--I speak, of
course, of those who are of noble birth."

He shook his head.

"I think not," he answered. "You see, for them there are many
diversions. They play games, hunt, shoot, and ride with their brothers
and their brothers' friends when they are at their estates. Then for
half the year they live in London, and every night there are dances,
concerts, theatres, and parties of all sorts."

She nodded gravely.

"That is what I have heard," she said. "They take life so much more
lightly than we who live in quieter places. Here there is born with us
the consciousness that our rank has many obligations. There is not a
peasant girl on my estates whom I do not know by name. It has been so
with the women of our house for many generations."

There was a short silence. Then she raised her eyes to his.

"Your own sisters?" she asked. "Are they, too, such as you describe?"

Brand smiled faintly.

"I have only one sister," he said, "and she is married. But my own
people would scarcely count--from your point of view."

She looked at him, faintly puzzled.

"You mean," she asked, "that you are not of noble birth?"

He shook his head.

"By no means! My father was a physician, and I myself write for the
newspapers!"

"But you spoke of Prince Ughtred," she remarked, "as your friend."

He smiled.

"In England," he explained, "all these things are regarded very
differently. We are a very democratic nation, and Prince Ughtred, you
must remember, is half an Englishman."

She was silent. He had an absurd fancy that she was disappointed--that
her momentary interest in him was gone. He was angry with himself for
the idea, angry with himself also for the effort which his little
speech had cost him. In England he counted himself a Radical, almost a
Socialist, and would have laughed to scorn the idea that the slightest
possible barrier could exist between men and women of unequal birth.
But out here, in the presence of this girl who spoke her mind so
simply, yet with such absolute conviction, he seemed to have come into
touch with a new order! The aristocracy which was to her as a creed
was a real and a live thing! He almost justified her in his mind. What
was surely a fallacy in England might be truth here.

The silence was prolonged. Then he glanced up to find her watching him
with a slight smile curving her lips.

"To you," she said, "I must seem very old-fashioned. Oh, yes, I can
understand your point of view. If I have not travelled I have at least
read, and your English books make these things clear enough. But here
we are surrounded with the old customs. It is not possible to escape
from them. We are almost mediæval."

"I am looking forward to studying your country closely," he said.
"What I have seen of it has charmed me. So far I have come across but
one thing which I would gladly change."

"And that?" she asked.

"Is the uniform of the Thetian Guards," he answered, turning slightly
in his chair. "I must confess that my body was never made for such
gorgeousness."

She laughed and struck the gong.

"Basil will show you to my brother's room," she said. "Wear any of his
clothes you choose."

He rose with alacrity.

"You will be safe--alone?" he asked, with a doubtful glance towards
the door.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Domiloff has courage, I believe, of a sort," she answered, "but not
enough to bring him uninvited across the threshold of this house in my
brother's absence."

He followed the servant from the room, and was shown into a bedchamber
of huge proportions. He changed his clothes as quickly as possible for
those which were tendered to him, and returned to the room where he
had left the Countess. She welcomed him with a smile which she tried
in vain to suppress.

"You must forgive me," she said, as their eyes met. "Indeed, it is
hard to avoid a smile. My brother is of slight stature, and you are
very tall,--is it not so?"

"Oh, I don't mind," he answered, good-humouredly, conscious that his
trousers terminated at the ankle, and that the seams of his unbuttoned
coat were bursting. "I should be comfortable in anything since I have
got rid of that sword and the other thing like a satchel which kept
tripping me up. The management of a woman's train has always seemed to
me an accomplishment, but it is nothing compared with the difficulty
of walking like a soldier with those things whacking at your ankles
every few moments. One thing I can promise you and myself, Countess.
If Domiloff and the whole lot of them catch me nothing would induce me
to put on that uniform again."

"It was very becoming," she said, smilingly.

"You are making fun of me," he declared, reproachfully.

"Indeed I meant it," she assured him. "I never doubted but that you
were Ughtred of Tyrnaus!"

He felt absurdly pleased. There was a note of regret too in her tone.
Then, as though with some effort she addressed him more formally.

"You need have no fear," she said, "that Domiloff will find you here.
Neither he nor any of his creatures dare force their way into this
house. All that we must pray for now is the speedy coming of Nicholas
and the Prince."

Almost as she spoke they heard quick footsteps upon the corridor
outside. The door was thrown open.




CHAPTER XIV


Nicholas of Reist, closely followed by Prince Ughtred, strode into the
room. Marie uttered a little cry of joy--Brand drew a long sigh of
relief.

"Nicholas, at last!" she cried.

He seized her hands and drew her to him. Then he turned to Ughtred.

"You will not recognize your old playmate, Prince," he said. "Marie,
this is Prince Ughtred of Tyrnaus."

He bowed low before her, and she murmured a few words of greeting.
Then both Nicholas of Reist and Ughtred saw Brand standing underneath
the great chimneypiece.

"Brand!" the former cried. "Brand! How in God's name did you find your
way here?"

Brand smiled enigmatically.

"Listen," he said, "and I will tell you."

They stood grouped around him. He told his story tersely yet fully.
When he had finished there was a moment's breathless silence. He
pointed to the door.

"You have not a moment to lose," he exclaimed. "The people are
bewildered now, soon they will become impatient. The uniform is in the
room where I changed. Let Prince Ughtred put it on and speak to the
people from your balcony. It will turn Domiloff's hair grey, but he is
powerless. Listen!"

Once more brother and sister exchanged quick glances. Once more the
men of Theos, as with one throat, shouted for Nicholas of Reist. Marie
looked curiously towards the Prince. He was handsomer than Brand,
broader and of finer presence. Yet her eyes narrowed with something
which was akin to hate. In her heart she believed that her brother was
making a great mistake. It was a Reist this people wanted, not one of
his corrupt race.

"Brand is right!" Reist decided. "Prince, my servants will show you to
my room and assist you. I will speak a few words to the people and
prepare them for your coming."

From topmost storey to basement the Reist house flashed out in sudden
light. The people, who were weary of shouting in front of the palace,
marked the change, and a sudden rush took place. It was Reist who
stood there with his hands resting lightly upon the balustrade. A roar
of welcome greeted him. Now at last this mystery would be cleared up.
Then there followed a silence so intense, so breathless, that the very
air seemed charged with the tension of it. Reist's voice rang out like
a still, clear note, perfectly audible to all.

"My country people," he said, "not many days ago you charged me with a
mission. To-night I acquit myself of it. I bring you good news. The
illustrious soldier who has won fame fighting another country's
battles has never for one moment forgotten his name or his native
land, has never forgotten his descent from that great race of Tyrnaus
who, generations ago, made your country one to be feared and respected
throughout Europe. He is willing to come to our aid in these evil
times. He is a brave man and a just. He will rule you as a soldier
King! May the God of our ancestors bless his reign, and preserve for
everlasting the independence of Theos and the freedom of our sons!"

As the last word had left Reist's lips Ughtred of Tyrnaus in all the
bravery of his brilliant uniform passed through the great room. Marie,
who had been watching for him, shrank back at his near approach in
something like awe. For indeed it seemed as though Rudolph the Great,
whose picture frowned down upon them from the wainscotted wall, walked
once more in their midst. The unwonted excitement had given fire to
his features, seemed indeed to have added inches to his great stature.
No wonder that the people who saw him come raised their voices in a
great shout of welcome.

"A Tyrnaus! A Tyrnaus! God save the King!"

The band struck up the National Anthem, and from the throats of
thousands came that strange, thrilling air, the song of their liberty.
Prince Ughtred listened with tears in his eyes--and in the palace
Domiloff held his head and walked backwards and forwards in speechless
bewilderment. The last bars died away. Then Ughtred spoke to his
people, and these are some of the things which he said.

"Men of Theos, that song which you have sung has followed me into many
strange countries. I have ridden into battles with it in my ears, I
have heard it amongst the roaring of the guns and in the silent
watches of the night. To me it has always sounded like very sweet
music, for it has recalled to me ever my native land.... I, too, you
must remember, am a son of Theos. For long I have been an exile, but
no other country has ever seemed like home to me. Always I have hoped
that some day my lot might bring me back to the homeland amongst the
mountains so inexpressibly dear to all of us.... I, too, though far
away, have followed ever the fortunes of Theos. I have read of her
sufferings and her misfortunes. I have blushed with shame to read of
those, who, calling themselves her sons, would have bartered away her
liberty for gold.... And now you have done away with this hateful
Republic. The House of Laws is once more convoked. The Duke of Reist
has sought me out and brought from you a wonderful message. Well, I
know little of kingcraft, but I may at least call myself a soldier.
If the House of Laws will ratify your choice, nothing in this world
could make me happier than to throw in my lot with yours, to devote
my life to preserving for you and Theos that ancient and God-given
heritage--our freedom! This little State is surrounded, it is true, by
powerful enemies. Yet God is not always with the strong. Let us be
fearless, just, and slow to give offence. Then, if we are attacked, it
must be war to the bitter end. We can at least live like men and die
heroes. My people, if it comes to pass that I am chosen to be your
King, I can promise you this. While I live, and whilst a single one of
you will stand by my side, we will remain a free and independent
nation. We will hand to our children their birthright untarnished and
entire. This is my word to you, and if ever I fail to keep it may I
forfeit my place through all eternity by the side of my forefathers
who gave their lives for Theos."

The air was rent with frantic cheering. These were the words and this
the man to win their hearts. So throughout the crowd swept a
passionate and overwhelming wave of enthusiasm. Domiloff heard it and
swore unutterable things under his breath. Reist, for all that this
was his doing, felt a certain momentary anger with this people who had
taken a stranger so swiftly into their heart. Marie said nothing, but
her dark eyes were eloquent. Ughtred stepped back at last into the
room with a glow upon his face which for a moment transformed it.

"You are an orator, my friend," Reist said, quietly. "You have won
your throne. No House of Laws would refuse to confirm the choice of
such an assemblage."

"I think," Brand said, quietly, "that I will go round to the telegraph
office. The time has arrived when I may take a hand in the game."

From the corridor came the sound of hurried footsteps. Old Basil, the
major domo, threw open the door.

"The Baron Domiloff, your Excellency," he announced.




CHAPTER XV


The room was large and dimly lit. Domiloff, beside himself with anger,
saw only Ughtred's tall figure in resplendent uniform, standing
beneath the great carved mantelpiece. He addressed him fiercely.

"How is this?" he exclaimed. "How came you here? What is the meaning
of it?"

Ughtred looked at him for a moment gravely; then turned to Reist.

"Who is this person?" he asked. "Why does he address me in this
fashion?"

Reist looked from one to the other with a faint smile.

"Permit me to present to your Highness," he said, "Monsieur, the Baron
Domiloff, the representative of Russia in Theos."

Domiloff was white with rage.

"But it is a farce, this!" he exclaimed, fiercely. "Prince Ughtred and
I are not strangers. I demand an explanation, sir."

"An explanation of what?" Ughtred asked.

Domiloff was beside himself. His black eyes burned like live coals,
his cheeks were pallid almost to ghastliness, the muscles of his face
were twitching.

"Of your presence here, sir," he exclaimed. "Of your flight from the
palace, of your speech to the people. It was only an hour ago that you
declared yourself ignorant of the language. It seems that your
statement was false!"

"Baron Domiloff is suffering, perhaps, from some hallucination,"
Ughtred said, quietly. "I have never, to the best of my belief,
exchanged a word with him in my life. As to my flight from the palace,
I have never yet entered it; nor do I propose to do so until I enter
it as King of Theos."

Domiloff's senses were blinded with passion. The broader stature of
the Prince, his more military bearing and different accent were things
of which he took no note. He never once questioned the identity of the
man whom he was addressing so fiercely.

"Your Highness will deny next," he exclaimed, "that you travelled with
me from the frontier, that your word is pledged to sign a treaty with
Russia."

Ughtred shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"The duties of a minister plenipotentiary," he remarked, "are, I
believe, arduous. Baron Domiloff is suffering, without doubt, from
overwork. It is unnecessary for me to remark that I reached here on
horseback in company with my friend Reist, and that my word is pledged
to sign nothing--least of all a treaty with Russia."

Domiloff was absolutely speechless with passion. Brand came out from
the shadows amongst which he had been loitering, and faced the
Russian.

"Do you know," he said, amiably, "I believe that I can clear up this
little misunderstanding. Baron Domiloff is obviously mistaking you,
Prince Ughtred, for me."

Domiloff turned upon him swiftly.

"And who, sir, are you?" he asked, harshly.

"Walter Brand, journalist--the _Daily Courier_, you know."

Domiloff caught up the lamp which stood on the long oaken table, and
looked steadily from one to the other of the two men. When he set it
down there was a queer, bitter, little smile upon his lips. The moment
was one of unspeakable humiliation to him. He, a seasoned diplomatist,
trusted by his master, feared and respected everywhere, had been
befooled and outwitted--by an Englishman!

"I beg to offer my tardy congratulations to your Highness," he said,
bowing to Ughtred. "My mistake was an unpardonable one. Yet this
gentleman is, perhaps, also of the family of Tyrnaus? The resemblance
is certainly remarkable."

"Mr. Brand is not connected in any way with my family," Ughtred
answered. "The resemblance between us is merely a coincidence--to
which it seems I owe my presence here, Baron Domiloff."

The Russian remained silent. He stood with bowed head, awaiting the
storm.

"It appears," Ughtred continued, "that by proxy I was drugged and
detained upon the frontier by your orders. For these doings I shall
certainly, when the proper moment arrives, demand an explanation."

Domiloff raised his eyes for a moment. His expression was inscrutable.

"When the time comes, your Highness," he said, "I shall be prepared to
satisfy you."

He passed from the room without any formal leave-taking. Reist looked
after him thoughtfully.

"An enemy! Well, at least we are forewarned. Prince Ughtred, there
will be no rest for you now, or, I fear, for many days. Domiloff has
gone without doubt to the barracks. We must forestall him. I have
ordered fresh horses to be brought to the door. Marie, some wine! We
are thirsty! Wine from the King's cup!"

A servant, whose livery seemed but a slight modification of the native
dress, brought some dust-covered bottles. Marie, with her own hand,
unlocked an oaken cabinet, and produced some quaint horn cups,
emblazoned in gold, with the Reist arms. One larger than the others
she set before the Prince.

"They were a present," Reist said, "from Rudolph the Second to my
great-grandfather. The cup you have is called the King's cup. No one
who is not of Royal birth has ever drunk out of it. Permit me!"

He filled it to the brim, and Ughtred, who was thirsty, raised it
gladly to his lips. Reist and Brand waited.

"To Theos and her King," Reist said, gravely. "This is our ancient
toast. May her sons be ever brave, her rulers wise, and her soil
fruitful! God save the King!"

They drank together. Marie stood at the head of the table, her dark
eyes full of silent fires, her fingers nervously twitching. Ughtred
turned towards her.

"You, too," he said, "must drink with us. Nay, I will have no refusal.
You will honour me."

He held his cup towards her. She shook her head.

"Not from the King's cup," she said. "See, I have a goblet here."

But Ughtred was insistent.

"I have the weakness of my forefathers," he declared, "and I am
superstitious. It will be for my good fortune, and the good fortune of
Theos. You shall drink with me from the King's cup."

A spot of colour burned in the girl's cheeks. She drew back. A swift
glance passed between brother and sister. It was Reist who answered.

"Your Highness," he said, gravely, "in this little corner of the earth
we hold hard to all our old traditions, and for more than a hundred
years--ay, since first that cup was fashioned, none have drunk from it
save only those of the royal House, and----"

He hesitated. Ughtred waited for him to continue.

"And their betrothed."

Ughtred started. Marie looked downwards, and the deep colour mounted
even to her forehead. There was a moment's silence. Then the spirit of
obstinacy which had been kindled in Ughtred prevailed.

"I take upon my own shoulders," he said, smiling, "all the evil that
may come of it, and I pray, Countess Marie, that you will honour me by
drinking from my cup."

She lifted her head, and the eyes of brother and sister met once
more--a single electric moment. Ughtred was conscious of little save
of a masterful desire to have his own way. His blue eyes were filled
with a compelling light. Perhaps, too, a little admiration was
apparent in his bronzed, handsome face. Marie took the cup, and
raised it to her lips.

"I drink," she murmured, "to the welfare of Theos, and to her King!"

There was another brief but curiously intense silence. Reist was
standing apart with folded arms and absorbed face--Brand, too, had set
down his cup, and was watching Marie. Ughtred had an uneasy feeling
that what he had regarded merely as an act of courtesy had become a
sacrament. The entrance of a servant was a relief to them all.

"The horses, your Grace," he announced, "are at the side door. The
people are lining the way to the barracks."

Reist roused himself quickly.

"Your Highness is ready!" he exclaimed. "There is not a moment to
lose. We shall know now how deep is the corruption which Domiloff's
gold has caused."

Ughtred drained his cup and stood up.

"I am ready!" he declared.




CHAPTER XVI


"It is not only your country's welfare," Domiloff said, "which
trembles in the balance. It is her very existence. I appeal to you,
General Dartnoff--to you, Bushnieff. If you accept this man, Theos as
an independent country will soon be blotted from the map."

Domiloff stood leaning with his back against the long deal table.
Gathered together before him were a dozen men or more in the
undress uniform of the Moranian Guards. Dartnoff, his white hair
brushed straight back from his forehead, a tall, soldierly figure
notwithstanding his sixty years, stepped a little forward.

"My friend, Domiloff," he said, "we are gathered here, as you know, in
a state of some indecision. I will frankly admit that as yet we have
not made up our minds how to act. Yet it seems to me that you go a
little far. We have more faith in ourselves and in the destinies of
our ancient kingdom than you seem willing to give us credit for. The
end might be as you say supposing we found ourselves involved with one
of the great Powers. But let me assure you, Baron Domiloff, that the
contest would be no bloodless one. Theos has held her own, beset
though she has been by powerful enemies, for many centuries."

A little murmur of applause escaped from the lips of those gathered
around him. Domiloff held up his hand.

"The past of your country," he exclaimed, "is a magnificent chapter
in history. It is the more incumbent upon you to see that she has a
future. Warfare to-day has become a science. Reckless bravery is no
longer the surety of success. Theos is without any of the modern
appliances of war. Her artillery is ancient and her guns fit for the
dust-heap. General Dartnoff, a heavy responsibility rests upon your
shoulders."

Dartnoff stroked his long grey moustache thoughtfully.

"Domiloff, my friend," he said, "you appear a little flurried, but you
are also very much in earnest. Now speak to us exactly the words which
are in your heart. You have advice to give, eh? Well, we will listen."

Domiloff moved to the high bare window, and looked downwards towards
the town. As yet there was no sign of the figures which he dreaded to
see. He faced once more the little assemblage.

"Here are plain words," he said, speaking rapidly, and with rising
colour. "If I have seemed evasive hitherto it is because I come to
persuade, not to dictate, and I know that the tempers of you men of
Theos are easily kindled. Nicholas of Reist brings to-day a forgotten
descendant of the Tyrnaus family, and with your consent would make him
King. I say with your consent, because the House of Laws is nothing
to-day but a farcical assembly, and they will do what Reist bids them.
The real decision rests with you. Listen. Russia will refuse to
recognize this man. If you accept him her restraining hand upon Turkey
will be removed. Russia herself may not think it worth while to move
against you, but even now in secret the Turks are massing upon your
borders. They wait only for the signal."

Dartnoff nodded gravely.

"Well," he said, "let us hear what will happen to us supposing we
accept your warning and refuse to recognize Ughtred of Tyrnaus."

"The protection of Russia," Domiloff cried, eagerly. "My master
himself shall guarantee your independence. I will give you pledges.
You will reserve for a friend and an ally the most generous of the
Powers. But you must be quick," he added, with a sudden start. "Now is
the time for you to act. Close the gates upon those who come here
to-night. It shall be your answer."

Dartnoff shook his head.

"I cannot do that," he said. "Nicholas of Reist is a colonel in our
army, and he has the right to enter here at any time."

There was the thunder of hoofs in the courtyard. Domiloff bit his lip
and looked nervously around.

"Reist is a traitor," he exclaimed. "It is against the law to harbour
a Tyrnaus."

"We will hear what our friend Nicholas of Reist has to say," Dartnoff
answered, coldly. "You might perhaps find it advisable to retire,
Baron Domiloff."

The door was thrown open. Nicholas and Ughtred entered. General
Dartnoff stepped forward.

"General," Nicholas exclaimed, "and brother officers of the Thetian
Guards. I have the honour to present you to Prince Ughtred of
Tyrnaus."

Ughtred held out his hand frankly. But there was not one of them who
did not bow low, after the manner of one making an obeisance rather
than exchanging greetings.

"Your names are well known to me," Ughtred said. "I believe that by
hereditary right I may call myself a colonel in your regiment and a
brother officer."

Dartnoff bowed.

"Your Highness is pleased to remember what is undoubtedly a fact," he
said. "The brave deeds of Captain Erlito in the Soudan have been a
source of pride to all of us."

Ughtred smiled with pleasure--and Nicholas, with his hand upon his
sword, addressed General Dartnoff in clear tones.

"General Dartnoff," he said, "I take the liberty of addressing you as
Commander-in-Chief of the Thetian army. The Republic of Theos has
ceased by reason of its own misdeeds to exist. I have always, as you
know, refused to recognize its legislation. I claim that its decree
abolishing the ancient monarchy and establishing a republic here was
invalid and worthless. We have been made the laughing-stock of Europe
by the gold-bought merchants and traitors who have presumed to occupy
the high places of Theos. That is all at an end. It rests with us to
restore honour and dignity to our country. There is but one way, but
that a sure one, General Dartnoff and brother officers. We come here
alone and unattended, but had we wished it we could have stormed your
walls with half the population of Theos at our backs. I call upon you
all to take the oath of allegiance to Ughtred of Tyrnaus, King of
Theos, by divine right and the choice of the people."

General Dartnoff hesitated for a moment.

"Duke of Reist," he said, slowly. "You ask us to take a step on the
impulse of the moment from which there could be no drawing back, which
for good or for evil must decide forever the destinies of our country.
Whatever my own personal inclinations might be, I owe it to my brother
officers, and to our deep sense of patriotism to consult with them for
a few minutes."

Reist would have spoken hastily, but Ughtred checked him.

"General Dartnoff has spoken like a wise man," he said. "I am content
to wait."

With folded arms, drawn to his full height, a commanding figure
indeed, Ughtred of Tyrnaus stood by the window looking down upon the
city and the country which he loved. General Dartnoff, surrounded by
his officers, stood at the head of the table. In the further corner of
the room where the shadows were deepest Domiloff lurked. He watched
their faces, and he knew that the game was lost.

Only a very few minutes had gone by before Dartnoff approached the two
men by the window.

"Your Highness," he said, to Ughtred, with marked respect. "There is
one question which we feel constrained to ask."

Ughtred bowed.

"As many as you will," he answered.

"In your coronation oath you swear to maintain inviolate the
independence of Theos. We would know if at all costs, though the cost
should be famine, death or annihilation, will you keep this oath to
the letter?"

"May God have no mercy upon me hereafter if ever I should depart from
it one hair's-breadth," Ughtred answered, with a sudden note of
passion surging up in his tone. "I have no fancy for ruling a
tributary state, sir. My forefathers have held safely for Theos
through long generations the priceless gift of her liberty, and I
would sooner die a thousand times over than that mine should be the
hand to part with it."

General Dartnoff dropped on his knee, and drawing his sword from his
scabbard, kissed its hilt.

"Your Majesty," he said, "we are all your faithful servants."




CHAPTER XVII


"Well!"

Reist unfastened his sword. The State uniform of the Thetian Guards
was cumbersome, and the day was hot.

"Let Basil bring me wine," he ordered. "The cathedral was a furnace.
Everywhere the air seems hot with the shouting of the people."

"Up here," Marie said, "the clamour of voices has seemed incessant. I
have never heard anything like it."

He walked up and down moodily. He was not sure whether the day had
gone according to his liking. All the time her eyes questioned him.

"One thing," he declared, "is certain. Never again will a republic
exist in Theos. Two generations of _roués_ and madmen have not
sickened this people of the House of Tyrnaus. Their loyalty is
amazing."

"This man," she said, "is neither _roué_ nor madman."

"It is true," he admitted.

He drank his wine, and as he set the glass down he felt her watching
him. He understood the unspoken question in her deep, blue eyes.

"Of his betrothal," Reist said, slowly, "there was no word."

She drew herself up haughtily, a slim, stately figure in her
magnificent white dress, caught up with jewels, and the curious
bejewelled head-dress which in Theos was the symbol of her rank. Yet
Nicholas, who watched her closely, caught the gleam of something in
her eyes which surprised him. It was more like relief than anger.

"Was our ancient usage explained to him?" she asked.

"Yes! I told him that an unmarried king was contrary to the
time-sanctioned custom of our country. I told him that the
announcement of his betrothal should be made at the moment of
his coronation. The people expected it, and it would add immensely
to his popularity."

"You told him that?"

"Yes!"

"And he answered?"

"He answered me with a jest. As yet he was not prepared to marry or to
think of marriage. He preferred to retain his liberty."

She bit her lip, and the colour mantled in her cheeks.

"And you?"

He hesitated.

"It was after the words of the ceremony. He was my king. Between a
Reist and a Tyrnaus the difference is purely accidental. The Reists
are, indeed, the older and the nobler family. But between a Reist and
his king there is a gulf. I cannot point my sword against him."

She walked restlessly up and down the room. Her thoughts were in
confusion. For some vague, unacknowledged cause, her first impulse had
been one of relief. She had expected a formal offer for her hand, and
she would scarcely admit even to herself that that expectation had
been a dread. Yet to be ignored touched her pride keenly. She stopped
by her brother's chair.

"What, then?" she asked. "Am I, the Countess Marie of Reist, to be
flouted and passed over by a beggarly soldier, whose life has been
spent as an adventurer, because the blood of the House of Tyrnaus is
in his veins and chance has brought him to the throne? Nicholas, am I
to look to you in vain to avenge this insult?"

The man's eyes flashed fire.

"Be patient, Marie," he answered. "Ughtred of Tyrnaus has lived in
strange countries all his life, and imbibed the hateful modernisms of
the West. Let us wait for a little. Perhaps he does not understand.
Perhaps the time would seem to him too short even for a royal wooing.
We will watch and wait. Meanwhile, listen. This is certain. If Ughtred
of Tyrnaus lives out his reign, you and no other shall be his queen.
That at least I can answer for."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"It may be," she said, "that when he is ready he may find his
opportunity gone. The throne of Theos will be no bed of roses. In the
meantime, I at least shall not go to the palace."

Reist looked doubtful.

"It was arranged," he reminded her, "that you should receive the wives
of the Ministers. It is your right of birth."

"I renounce it then for the present," she answered. "Let him see how
the fat old Kolashin woman will look on his left hand."

Her brother watched her thoughtfully. Then he shrugged his shoulders.

"Women are all alike," he said to himself, bitterly, on his way to the
palace. "She is in love with Ughtred of Tyrnaus. She has drunk with
him from the King's cup. It is enough!"

       *       *       *       *       *

"Baron Domiloff!"

She rose to her feet perplexed--a little annoyed. It was a visit which
she did not understand. He came swiftly across the lawn to her,
unattended and unannounced.

"I do not understand," she said, as he bowed low before her. "My
servants have no authority to send you here. I am not receiving this
afternoon--and you--you surely should be at the palace."

"I offer my most profound apologies, Countess," he said respectfully.
"Your servants are not at fault. It was my persistence which
prevailed."

"You have some message for me?" she asked, doubtfully.

"None," he answered. "I have come here on my own initiative. You will
permit me the honour of a few minutes' interview. As to my absence
from the palace, is that more likely to be remarked upon than yours,
Countess?"

She waived the question.

"It is at least more surprising," she answered. "Do you wish your
Austrian friends to have it all their own way with the King?"

"The Countess of Reist's sympathies are, I fear," he murmured, "with
my rival."

"My sympathies," she answered, "are with neither of you. You each seek
aggrandizement at our expense. I am a Thetian, and I believe that the
less we have to do with foreigners the better. But I do not see, Baron
Domiloff, what profit there can be in a discussion of this sort
between you and me. I am still waiting for an explanation of your
presence here. Which of my servants has proved faithless?"

"None," he answered. "I made my way here unknown to anybody. I came,
Countess, to ask you a question."

"Well!"

He did not immediately reply. There was a good deal at stake, and her
manner was not encouraging. In the end it came, however.

"Is it true what they are whispering in the city--that you have drunk
with Ughtred of Tyrnaus from the King's cup?"

The Countess rose from her seat with flashing eyes. The Russian stood
his ground, however, respectful, insistent, having well calculated the
effect of his words.

"What an infamy--that you should dare to come here and ask me such a
question. If you will not leave me at once, sir, I myself must return
to the house. Your presence here is an insult."

Domiloff stood in the centre of the path, and his manner was the
manner of a man who has something to say, and will surely say it.

"Countess," he exclaimed, "I can claim no more with you, it is true,
than the merest acquaintance, but I beg of you to consider whether I
have the reputation of doing foolish things or asking foolish
questions. You may not believe it, but I have the good of your country
at heart. We in Russia desire an independent Theos. When I see her,
therefore, drifting gradually towards certain destruction, I brave all
things to save her."

She regarded him steadfastly, still angry, but a trifle curious.

"Explain yourself, sir--if any explanation is possible."

"Countess," he answered, "for the sake of your country, answer my
question."

She hesitated. Her cheeks were flushed. She drew herself up proudly.

"You are well served, Baron," she said. "Your spies, it seems, can
penetrate even within the walls of the Reist house. Yet the matter is
no secret. I have drunk with Ughtred of Tyrnaus from the King's cup."

He inclined his head slowly.

"Yes," he said, "I was sure of it. Yet you have done well to tell me.
Now I will tell you this. Ughtred of Tyrnaus before he had been King
an hour sent to London to summon here an American woman with whom he
had been--on the best terms in London."

She was thoughtful for a moment.

"You are sure of this?"

"I am sure of it," he answered.

"Is she of noble birth?"

Domiloff, who had been in New York, smiled faintly.

"She is an American," he answered. "Her father was a shopkeeper, her
grandfather a labourer. He intends to marry her!"

"That is impossible," she answered, curtly. "The people of Theos would
not permit it."

"When did a Tyrnaus," he asked, "ever consider the welfare or opinion
of his subjects when the gratification of a caprice was concerned."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"And why," she asked, "do you bring this news to me?"

"To give you an opportunity of saving your country," he answered,
promptly. "See, I will risk everything--I tell you the whole truth.
Ughtred of Tyrnaus is not acceptable to my master as King of Theos. We
know the race too well. They are not to be trusted--the integrity of
the State is not safe in their hands. There is only one man who is the
Heaven-designed ruler of Theos!"

"And he?"

"It is your brother!"

Now, indeed, she was interested. A rush of colour warmed her cheeks.
The frigidity of her manner vanished as though by magic.

"I myself have told him so," she exclaimed. "When the people rose
against the republic they called for him. It was the golden
opportunity which he failed to seize."

"It will come again," he assured her, earnestly. "I give you my word
that it will come again. That shall be my care. Yours is to see that
next time he is prepared."

"Why do you not yourself speak to him?" she asked.

He smiled.

"You know your brother. The knowledge should answer that question. He
has sworn loyalty to Ughtred of Tyrnaus, and for good or for evil he
will keep his vow. We must wait till the thing is inevitable."

"And I," she murmured, "I, too, am a Reist, and he is my king."

"You are the first lady in Theos," he answered, "and you will not be
content to bend your knee day by day before a plebeian. I will prove
to you that I am sincere. If the King seeks your hand in marriage, I
will not raise a little finger against him. But we will not support
another Tyrnaus in another reign of folly. We will not recognize a
king who places by his side upon the throne the daughter of
tradespeople."

"It would be infamous," she murmured.

"Dear lady," he said softly, "try to forget that I am a Russian, or
that Russia was ever your fancied enemy. An independent Theos is my
policy, it is your religion. Let us work hand in hand."

The old distrust was hard to smother. She gave him the tips of her
fingers.

"You can speak with me again," she said. "I make no promises. I will
watch."




CHAPTER XVIII


Ughtred, with a deep sigh of relief, sank into an easy-chair, and
mopped his forehead in most unkingly fashion. He had escaped for a
moment into the royal ante-room.

"Nicholas," he exclaimed, "if I am to be preserved for the service of
the State order me a whisky-and-soda. This is harder work than our
ride from Castle Reist."

Reist touched the bell and smiled.

"It is not yet concluded," he said. "I have many yet upon my list who
have not been presented to your Majesty. There must be no
heartburnings to-night. We must make no enemies."

Ughtred sat up with a sudden sense of injury.

"Nicholas," he demanded, "where is your sister?"

Reist's face was imperturbable.

"My sister," he said, "regretted exceedingly her inability to be
present. She will pay her respects to your Majesty later."

The King frowned. His manner was impatient.

"It is now that I require her help," he said. "The Baroness is an
utter impossibility. Her French is unrecognizable, she remembers no
one, and the woman herself with her dyed hair and feathers is a
caricature. Your sister must really make an effort, Reist. She must
come and help me out."

"I will see that your Majesty's wishes," Reist answered quietly, "are
conveyed to her."

The King eyed him keenly. Reist then was concealing something. His
sister's absence was not motiveless.

"On reflection," he said, "I desire to emphasize my wishes. Your
sister's absence is significant, and might possibly be commented upon.
You will go yourself and fetch her, Nicholas. Say that I desire her
immediate presence."

"Your Majesty," Reist protested, "my sister may have to make her
toilette. Her immediate return with me will doubtless be impossible."

"The Countess will use her own discretion as to the time she keeps me
waiting," Ughtred answered coolly. "I have told you that I shall await
your return."

Reist turned away with immovable face. Ughtred remained in the
ante-room alone. He lit a cigarette, and took a pile of telegrams from
the table by his side. Selecting the topmost he read it thoughtfully
to himself.

     "My best wishes to you and for the welfare of your kingdom.
     May my offering remain forever an ornament. May peace and
     happiness be the lot of your people and your own.--SARA VAN
     DECHT."

"A coronation present with such a wish," he said to himself, "must
remain an enigma. Enter."

An attendant withdrew the curtain.

"Captain Hartzan, of the Artillery, desires a moment's audience with
your Majesty," the servant announced.

The King nodded.

"Let him be shown in."

A young officer bowed low as he passed through the curtains.

"Your Majesty," he announced, "a messenger has arrived at the barracks
from the English firm of Vickers, Son, and Maxim. He is in charge of a
whole battery of Maxims and quick-firing pom-poms, and awaits
instructions as to their delivery."

"I know nothing of them," the King answered. "I understood that the
firm you mention had declined the orders of the late Government."

"It is true, your Majesty," the officer answered, "and in consequence
we have scarcely a modern gun at the barracks. The battery which has
arrived here was intended for the Russian Government, but was
purchased, the person in charge informs me, by a private individual
for cash, as a coronation present to your Majesty."

The King started.

"Are you sure that there is no mistake?" he asked.

"None, your Majesty," the officer answered. "The messenger is quite
explicit. It is a princely gift. Colonel Dartnoff instructed me to
make an immediate report to your Majesty."

Ughtred for a moment was puzzled.

"I know of no one," he said reflectively, "who could make such a
present."

The young officer hesitated.

"The artillery man in charge, your Majesty, claims to have seen the
donor's cheque. It was a draft upon Rothschilds, drawn by an American
of the name of Van Decht."

Ughtred caught up the telegram by his side. His eyes were suddenly
bright. He understood.

"You will inform the agent in charge," he said, "that I will receive
him to-morrow, and arrange a date to inspect the battery."

The young officer bowed respectfully, and withdrew. Reist took his
place. The King eyed him sternly, for at first it seemed to him that
so prompt a return was significant.

"Well, sir!"

Reist lifted the curtain. Marie stood there in Court dress, her long
train held by pages in the Reist livery, her neck and arms ablaze with
jewels, a coronet of pearls upon her forehead. She was a little pale,
and she carried herself with more than ordinary dignity. The King
rose, and, bowing low, raised her hands to his lips.

"You are very welcome, Countess of Reist," he said, "although you are
amongst the latest of those who have come to offer their good wishes."

"I have come," she answered, "in obedience to your Majesty's
commands."

"Commands!" He smiled good-humouredly. "It is very unkind of you," he
said, "to have thought of deserting me on such a day as this."

"My brother----"

"Oh, Nicholas is invaluable," the King declared, lightly. "He can tell
me what to say to the men, but it is in receiving the women I need
your help."

"The Baroness Kolashin is as well acquainted with our countrywomen as
I," Marie answered. "I did not doubt but that her aid would be
sufficient."

"The Baroness," Ughtred answered, "has done her best; but another hour
by her side would rob me of the few wits I have left. I should like to
know for what special sin I was committed to her charge."

Marie shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly, but she did not smile.

"I am at your Majesty's service," she said.

Ughtred was puzzled. In what manner had he offended her?

"If my message seemed to you peremptory," he said, "will you not
ascribe it to my desire to taste the full measure of my powers? I know
nothing of the privileges of a king save what I have read in books.
But it seems to me that included amongst them must surely be the
privilege of choosing one's companions--and one's friends."

"Your Majesty," Marie answered, "may find that a rash assumption. It
may lead to disappointment. Friends are scarcely to be made in a day,
or to order. You must send for some of those whom you have left behind
in England."

He looked at her, curious to know if anything lurked behind those
words.

"Mine has not been the sort of life," he said, quietly, "which leads
to the making of friendships. I have been a wanderer always, and a
lonely one. I had hoped to fill the empty places--here."

There was a note of appeal in his tone--dignified, yet not in a sense
without pathos. He glanced at Nicholas, but he looked first at Marie.
A faint touch of colour flushed her cheeks. Her manner was visibly
softened.

"I trust that your Majesty may not be disappointed," she said. And her
eyes fell before his for the first time.

A crash of music reminded them of those who still waited to bow before
the King. So they passed out into the great ballroom, and mounting the
dais, Marie stood on the King's left hand. The room was a blaze of
light, of brilliant uniforms and beautiful dresses. At ten o'clock,
Reist came up with a look of relief upon his face, and a gleam of
excitement in his eyes.

"The English Minister and his wife, your Majesty," he murmured. "It is
excellent. The others will follow."

The news spread. A little flutter of joy rippled through the room. The
coming of this dignified, kindly old man, with his grey hair and
single decoration, was the one thing needed. Theos had taken to
herself a King, asking leave of no one, but the countenance of some at
least of the Powers was a vital thing. At the informal coronation,
rushed through by Reist and his friends, not one of the Ministers had
been present. Domiloff, with smooth face and with many lying regrets,
had presented an interdictory note from Russia, but owing to the
peculiar conditions prevailing there had not been until after the
coronation any properly-appointed person to receive it. The late
foreign Minister had refused it with a smile and a polite word of
regret, and his example had been followed by every member of the
Royalist party. There was, they explained, at the moment no
government, no officials, no Minister. Their various appointments
were arranged for and would be confirmed immediately after the
coronation. Until then they were only private persons. So Domiloff,
with a suave jest and a shrug of his shoulders, shut himself up in his
house, while the cathedral bells clashed and the cannon roared from
the walls.

The English Minister was followed in quick succession by the
representatives of France and Austria, and with their coming a certain
sense of restraint passed away from the brilliant assemblage. Before
there had been a certain sense of unreality in the whole thing. The
tone of the rejoicings had been feverish--who could tell but that in a
week this thing might not have passed away like a mirage. Now a
heartier note altogether prevailed, especially amongst the men. There
were no more side glances, or shrugged shoulders--the volcano no
longer trembled beneath their feet. Dancing commenced, and the King
stood up with Marie of Reist. At supper she remained on his right
hand. Many people spoke to Reist of this.

"It is excellent, Duke," declared old Baron Kolashin, once
Commander-in-Chief of the Army. "Theos needs no outside alliance. It
means only entanglement. That," he inclined his head to where Marie
and the King were talking, "will send Theos crazy with joy."

Reist shook his head.

"You anticipate, my dear Kolashin," he answered. "Our Court circle is,
as you know, small, and Marie's rank entitles her to receive. But this
is only their second meeting. I am sure that as yet no such idea has
entered the King's head."

Kolashin twirled his fierce moustache, and smiled knowingly.

"Eh, but my friend, there is a report that they have drunk together
from the King's cup. How about that?"

"It is true," Reist admitted, "but the King knows nothing of the
history of the cup. His offer was one of gallantry--no more. They were
children together."

The general chuckled.

"Marie is a beautiful girl," he said. "There is none like her in
Theos. Eh, but if I were young again."

He went off smiling to himself.

Reist was touched on the arm by Brand.

"May I speak to you for a moment, Duke?"

"By all means."

"There is still one of the foreign Ministers absent besides Domiloff."

Reist nodded.

"Effenden Pascha. There is yet time, however."

"Effenden Pascha is not coming," Brand said.

Reist eyed him sharply.

"How do you know that?"

"I was at the palace gates," Brand answered, "when Effenden Pascha
drove up. He was on the point of entering when he was accosted by our
friend Domiloff."

Reist's face grew black as night.

"The hound!" he murmured. "Go on!"

"They stayed talking for five minutes or more. Eventually they both
reentered Effenden Pascha's carriage and were driven off."

"The wolf and the dog," Reist cried, fiercely. "Let them beware how
they bark at the gates of Theos."

He was white almost to the lips with anger. Brand watched him
curiously.

"I do not believe that you people like the Turks," he remarked.

Reist turned upon him with a sudden violent gesture. His voice was
low, but charged with passionate hate.

"Like them! To us they are as vermin, a pest upon the face of the
earth. You wonder why! I tell you that it is because we know them,
because their border villages are in touch with ours, we know their
life and the manner of it. I could tell you things which you dare not
put in print; stories which, if English people read in your paper they
would brand you a liar. So, my friend, Brand, believe this. There is
not a true Thetian breathing who would not rather die himself and kill
his wife and children than that the Turks should enter Theos....
Pardon me!"

He moved away with a quick, expressive gesture. Brand remained in his
corner, and presently the King with Marie of Reist upon his arm passed
by. They paused before him.

"Come, Brand," Ughtred remarked, "why so thoughtful? You must dance,
my friend."

"Your Majesty," Brand answered, "I was pondering upon the inequalities
of life. Yesterday I was a King, and a most uncomfortable position it
was! To-day you are King--and"--he glanced at Marie--"it is a trial to
one's disposition to refrain from envy."

Marie detached her hand softly from the King's sleeve.

"So gallant a speech, sir," she said, smiling, "must be rewarded. You
have not yet asked me to dance!"




CHAPTER XIX


"It seems to me," she said, quietly, "that all men must be ambitious,
that the love of power must be a part of their very existence."

"In England," he remarked, "we are more circumscribed, our limits are
more exact. Yet I suppose in our small way we all flutter our wings."

"I have a curiosity to understand things," she said, leaning back and
fanning herself slowly. "Help me to understand yourself."

He smiled.

"Do I puzzle you then?"

"A little--yes!"

"How?"

She looked at him reflectively out of her dark, full eyes. He looked
into them once and turned away--he scarcely knew why.

"You do not seem to me," she said, "like a man who would be content
with small things. You outwitted Domiloff himself. Yet you call
yourself a writer, and you are perhaps content?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Why not? There is excitement in it. One travels everywhere, meets
strange types of people, penetrates into unknown countries, carries
often one's life in one's hands. Oh, it's not a bad life."

"Perhaps," she answered, "I do not quite understand. Our newspapers
in Theos are different. You then are content?"

Again that curious searching gaze from the most beautiful eyes into
which he had ever looked. Brand, in whose life women had played a
small part, was unaccountably ill at ease. His easy nonchalance of
manner had deserted him. Content! He looked for a moment into his
future, and was astonished to find in it a new emptiness. She bent
over towards him, and at her touch a thrill went through his veins,
and set his heart beating to a new music.

"Just now," she murmured, "you told the King--that you envied him. Was
it true?"

"For the moment," he answered, "I think that it was."

"You then would like to be a king?"

He laughed, and answered her with a forced lightness.

"I? Not I! It would not suit me at all."

"What did you mean, then?" she persisted.

"I think," he said, "that I was a little lonely. You see I know none
of these people. I am a stranger, and I felt a little out of my
element. And then--then he came by with you, and--well, I wished I
were in his place."

She laughed very softly.

"So far as I am concerned," she murmured, "you very soon had your
wish."

"It was very kind of you," he said, "to take pity upon me."

"I think that I wanted to talk to you again," she said. "I am tired of
all these people. Tell me, Mr. Brand, how long will you stay on in
Theos?"

"I am not sure," he answered, "perhaps a week, perhaps a month. It
depends upon my paper. They may recall me at any time."

She frowned, and stopped fanning herself.

"Why do you go back?" she said, abruptly. "Why do you not stay in
Theos?"

"There is no place here for me," he answered. "I am a stranger."

"You say," she continued, "that in your own country the limits of life
are being drawn closer. Why do you not make for yourself a career in a
country like this? Theos has need of such men as you."

He shook his head.

"Theos has her own sons to direct her future. I am a stranger."

"So is the King!"

"But he is a Tyrnaus. The people have chosen him for their King."

"You are his friend," she said, "and to you I may not say very much.
But he is young, and he may make mistakes. He comes of a family who
have done much evil here."

Brand was startled.

"I thought that you and your brother were his chief supporters," he
said. "People are saying, too----"

Her fan stopped. Brand hesitated.

"Please to go on," she said, imperiously.

"It is not my affair," he continued, awkwardly. "I ought not to have
alluded to it. But they are speaking of the possibilities of a
marriage between you and him."

The slow waving of white feathers recommenced. He felt that she was
looking at him; almost in spite of himself their eyes met. He looked
away with hot cheeks and burning eyes. Was this girl a trained
coquette, or----

"I do not think," she said, "that you need consider that. I do not
think that I shall ever marry Ughtred of Tyrnaus."

Despite himself he spoke the thoughts which had filled his mind.

"You," he said, "are ambitious. Have you no desire to be a queen?"

"I love power," she answered, "but I am a woman--and I do not wish to
marry Ughtred of Tyrnaus."

Brand told himself fiercely that he was a fool. Yet the music was
suddenly sweeter, his vague antipathy to the King had vanished into
thin air, the taste of life was sweeter between his teeth.

"You may think me mad," he said, "but I am--not sorry--to hear it."

There was a short silence. It was evident that if she thought him mad
she was not displeased.

"Some day," she said, presently, "I should like to talk to you of
Theos. I believe that before long there will be great changes here. A
new order of things may come--and you are one of those whom Theos may
look to for help."

"I?" he repeated. "But, indeed, Countess, you are overrating me. I am
only a journalist. I know nothing of statecraft."

"You are a strong man," she answered, "and strong men are scarce.
Promise me that you will not leave Theos without letting me know."

"I am not likely to do that," he said. "If ever I can help you or your
country I would do it willingly. But you will remember that I am the
friend of Ughtred of Tyrnaus."

"You may have other friends--is it not so?"

The significance of her speech once more filled him with new
emotions--half-delightful--half-uneasy. A sudden passionate impulse
came to him to seize the little white hand all ablaze with jewels
which hung over the arm of her chair so near to his. He mastered it
with a stupendous effort. They sat there in a silence which was to him
almost ecstatic. Then Nicholas of Reist stood suddenly before them,
his black eyebrows contracted into a lowering frown.

"Marie," he said, "the King is asking for you."

She shrugged her shoulders, and rose without haste.

"I think," she said, "that I have done my duty--and I am tired. I
should like to go home, Nicholas."

"You must make your adieux, in any case," he answered, giving her his
arm, and ignoring Brand. "No one is leaving yet, and there is to be a
display of fireworks in the grounds."

She looked over her shoulder to Brand with a parting smile.

"Good-night, Mr. Brand. I have enjoyed my rest very much."

He bowed low, and remained for a moment alone in the Palm House.
Through the open windows came the sound of ascending rockets hissing
through the still night air--the grounds were ablaze with lights. He
passed out, and mingled with the crowd of people.




CHAPTER XX


Illuminations, fireworks, and the thunder of saluting cannon closed
the day. The excited crowds dispersed slowly to their homes, the
National Hymn ceased at last to echo through the squares and streets.
Towards midnight Domiloff, who had left the palace early, knocked at
the door of a large white house in the Place des Éstrangers, and was
at once admitted. He passed into a hall furnished after the Turkish
style, and into the presence of Effenden Pascha.

The Turk was still in the uniform and jewelled turban which he had
donned for the reception at the palace. He greeted Domiloff eagerly.
They conversed in French.

"It is well that you have come," the Turk exclaimed. "To-morrow it
will be known in Constantinople that you and I alone of the foreign
Ministers failed to attend the reception of the new King. How am I to
explain this, Domiloff?"

Domiloff nodded, and lit a cigarette.

"Listen, Effenden Pascha," he said, quietly. "I have within the last
few minutes received a message from St. Petersburg ordering me to
recognize on behalf of Russia, Ughtred of Tyrnaus. It does not suit my
country just at present to be at variance with the other Powers.
Accordingly I must present myself at the palace to-morrow. You,
however, are outside the concert. Now, listen. I speak truth, do I
not, when I say that the ancient enmity between your country and
Theos is still a live thing--that but for the Powers your soldiers
would long ago have pillaged Theos, and sacked the city?"

"It is true," Effenden Pascha admitted. "What then?"

"The accession of Ughtred of Tyrnaus is not approved of by my master.
As I have explained, we cannot move ourselves, for the time is not yet
ripe for a European war. This, however, we can undertake. If your
master should refuse to recognize the new sovereign of Theos, and
should think the time ripe for an effort to regain what was once a
part of the Ottoman Empire, there shall be no interference. Russia
will not interfere, and Russia will see that no other Power does. You
follow me?"

"Perfectly," Effenden Pascha answered, quietly; "and afterwards?"

"The afterwards," Domiloff remarked, with a shrug of the shoulders,
"is of your own making."

The Turk shook his head slowly.

"Domiloff," he said, "so far all is well. But your price? Your master
serves no one without a price. Wherein is to come your advantage?"

"We have none to gain," Domiloff answered. "Simply we object to a
Tyrnaus once more upon the throne of Theos."

The Turk moved towards the door.

"There is still time," he said. "I go to pay my respects to King
Ughtred."

"You are too late," Domiloff cried.

"Not so," the Turk answered, pointing through the trees. "The palace
is still a blaze of light."

Domiloff swore softly between his teeth.

"Do not be so hasty, my friend," he exclaimed.

"My country," Effenden Pasha answered, "is too often the tool of
yours. We are to do the work, and at the last moment--the Bear's paw.
We are to conquer Theos for Russia."

"You are entirely wrong," Domiloff declared earnestly. "The eventual
possession of the country may become a matter of private treaty
between your Court and mine, but I will give you the word of the Czar
that if for any reason we should desire to occupy it you shall have a
_quid pro quo_. You shall have a free hand in Asia Minor and a loan."

"You will give me pledges of this nature in writing?" Effenden Pascha
asked.

"Certainly!"

The Turk walked to the window with a smile.

"Allah!" he exclaimed. "It will be good to hear once more the guns
roar in the Balkans. We Turks, Domiloff, are a nation of soldiers, and
these long intervals of peace are ill for us."

Outside there was a sudden tramp of feet. Into the square filed a
company of soldiers. They halted in front of the house. The two men
exchanged rapid glances.

"What is this?" the Turk asked, quickly.

"Heaven knows," Domiloff answered. "Listen!"

A thunderous summons at the door; voices in the hall. An officer in
the uniform of the Thetian Guards entered, bearing a letter.

"To Monsieur Domiloff," he announced, saluting.

Domiloff opened it without a word. As he read he grew pale to the
lips.

     "SIR,--I have the honour to enclose your passport and safe
     conduct to the frontier of Theos. I have informed the Czar,
     your Imperial master, of the circumstances which render your
     further presence in my dominions displeasing to me.

          (Signed)         "UGHTRED OF TYRNAUS,

                              "REX."

Domiloff crushed the letter in his fingers.

"Well, sir?" he said to the officer. "In the morning I will seek an
audience of his Majesty."

"I regret, sir," the officer answered, "that my orders allow me no
latitude whatever. A special train is waiting, and my instructions are
to escort you to the frontier."

Domiloff drew the Turk on one side.

"Listen," he said, "this is a bold stroke. I half expected it. Ughtred
of Tyrnaus has courage at least. I go straight to St. Petersburg. I
will give pledges of what I have promised to your Minister there."

Effenden Pascha bowed. He was most uncomfortable, but there was a
certain pleasure in witnessing the discomfiture of the wily Russian.

"I shall await your news," he answered.

Domiloff and his escort departed. Effenden Pascha at once undressed,
sent for his physician and sought his bed. Before morning Theos knew
of the sudden attack of malignant fever which had most unfortunately
laid hold of him at the moment of starting to attend the reception at
the palace.




CHAPTER XXI


Ughtred slackened his reins about his horse's neck, and turning round,
called to Brand, who was sitting a few yards away making some rapid
sketches. The King's cheeks were flushed with colour, and his eyes
were bright.

"What do you think of that, Brand?" he asked, proudly.

He pointed to where a cloud of dust hung round the last company of
galloping Thetians. The roll of the drums and the shrill music of the
fifes still reached them.

"They are born horsemen, and born soldiers, your Majesty," Brand
answered, with enthusiasm. "I only wish that there were more of them."

Ughtred smiled.

"The mountains are our chief protection," he said, with a little wave
of his arm. "The passes through which men could be poured into Theos
are narrow, and for defensive purposes a small, perfectly-trained army
is sometimes as useful as a large one. I am proud of my army, Brand."

"You have reason," Brand answered. "I am even now trying to make
Europe understand what manner of men these are."

General Dartnoff came galloping up.

"If your Majesty will ride now to Pinter's Pass," he said, "you will
be able to trace the progress of the attack."

The King and Brand rode off together, followed by his small bodyguard.

"Your people have said nothing yet about recalling you?" Ughtred
asked.

"Nothing," Brand answered. "I think that Theos is still being watched
with interest."

"And you yourself?"

Brand looked straight ahead.

"I am content here," he answered. "I shall be sorry to leave."

There was the thunder of hoofs on the turf a short distance away, and
Marie of Reist in a white riding-habit and the military cap of the
Thetian Guards galloped past. Her lithe, superb figure was at its
best--she managed her charger with the easy confidence of a born
horsewoman. Ughtred eyed her thoughtfully.

"There are not many women like that--even in England, Brand," he
remarked.

"Your Majesty is quite right," Brand answered. "The Countess of Reist
is the most beautiful woman whom I have ever seen."

Ughtred smiled and looked down into the valley. They reined in their
horses upon a small knoll.

"I think that I know one who is more beautiful," the King said, in an
undertone. "I heard this morning from our friends, the Van Dechts,
Brand. They are travelling in Italy, and may come on here."

Brand shrugged his shoulders.

"Your Majesty will find their presence welcome?" he asked.

The King looked at him in surprise.

"Surely! They are friends of mine. It would give me great pleasure to
have them here. Why not?"

Brand hesitated.

"I wondered," he said, slowly, "if they might not find their presence
here a little equivocal. Your Majesty is no longer a private
individual, and Mr. and Miss Van Decht, however agreeable in
themselves, are not of the rank which entitles them to a familiar
footing at your Court."

Ughtred looked at his companion in some surprise.

"That speech," he remarked, "might have come from Nicholas of
Reist--from you, my friend, it sounds strangely."

"I admit it," Brand answered. "For myself it is true that I am a
democrat, but then I am only a journalist. I have noticed that the few
nobles who remain in Theos are aristocrats to the backbone. I believe
that you find their principles absolutely rock-bound."

The King frowned. His eyes had rested upon Marie of Reist, sitting
upright in her saddle, and watching eagerly for the development of the
sham fight.

"Well, well," he said, "we shall see! I wish to see the Van Dechts
here, and it is useless to meet trouble halfway. Be so good, Brand, as
to convey my regards to the Countess of Reist, and suggest that she
join us. Our position is better chosen than hers."

Brand cantered over to her side and repeated the message. She rode
with him towards the King.

"You have been much occupied lately, perhaps," she said to Brand. "My
brother tells me that you have been invisible."

"I have been busy," he answered. "Perhaps because of my small share in
events here, I have become wonderfully interested in Theos. I have
been making excursions in all directions. I want to understand many
things which are hard for a stranger to form a right ide

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