The Princess Dehra Part 46

The Archduke put up his field gla.s.ses and, turning to the Princess, waved his hand toward the open country, and around to the Castle behind them.

"So, dear," he said, "this is home-the Dalberg aerie and its feeding grounds. I like them well. And particularly do I like the way the nest itself has been kept up to the time in comforts and appointments."

"Do be serious, Armand," she protested; "haven't you any sentiment! Look at the wonderful blue of the Voragian mountains; and the shifting shadows on the foot-hills; and this spur, and Lotzen's yonder, trailing out from them like tendrils of a vine; and the emerald valley, streaked through the center by the sparkling Dreer; and the fair lands to the south, as far as eye can carry, and yet farther, league upon league to the sea-yours, my lord, all yours-the heritage of your House-the Kingdom of your Fathers."

"You have forgot the loveliest thing in all the landscape," said he, "the one thing that makes the rest worth while."

She sprang from him. "No, sir, not here on the wall in view of the bailey and every window; confine your sentiment at present to the inanimate portion of the landscape."

He went over and leaned on the parapet beside her.

"I fear I have quite too much sentiment," he said; "I have already expended far more than you would believe-on the Castle, and the mountains, and the valley, and all the rest. Now I'm done with it, except for animate objects; the business we have in hand promises to be sufficiently occupying. Yonder is the Book; and how to get it, and quickly." He leveled his gla.s.ses at Lotzen Castle and studied it a long time.... "A pretty hard proposition," he remarked. "Have you ever been in it?"

"Unfortunately, no; but Major Meux has been Constable here for two years, and surely must have been there often-yonder he is now, by the gate tower."

The Archduke caught Meux's glance and motioned for him.

"Major," said he, "can you give us an idea of the plan of Lotzen Castle?"

"I can do better than that, Your Highness, I can show you a plan, drawn to scale and most complete. I came upon it in the library only last week.

It's more than a hundred years old, but I think it is still in effect accurate."

"I wonder how it happens to be here?" said the Princess, with the peculiar curiosity of a woman as to non-essentials.

"At the time it was made Lotzen was also a Royal Castle," the Constable explained; "it was very natural to deposit the draft here with the King's own records."

As they crossed the main hall, they chanced upon Colonel Moore, and, taking him with them, they went into the library-a great, high-ceilinged room, on the second floor of the keep, the walls hidden by ma.s.sive, black oak cases, filled with books and folios, in bindings of leather stamped with the Dalberg Lion-and from a shelf in a dark corner the Constable brought a small portfolio, made to resemble a book, in which the draft was folded.

"This is admirable," the Archduke remarked, examining it with the trained eye and instant comprehension of the engineer officer; "it could not be done better now.... See, Dehra, it is the whole fortification, as plain as though we were on the high tower, here-" indicating on the draft.

"I suppose so," she smiled; "but to me it looks only like a lot of black lines, flung down at random and with varying degrees of force; sort of an embroidery pattern, you know."

Armand, bending over the sheet, did not hear her.

"What did you make out of this, Major?" he asked; "there seems to be nothing on the key to explain it-might it be intended to indicate a secret pa.s.sage from the second floor of the keep to the postern?"

"That puzzled me also," said Meux, "but your explanation, sir, seems very likely.-Possibly old Jessac might know something; he has been here for more than seventy years, as a boy, and upper servant, and steward, and now as sort of steward emeritus and general reminiscer; and he has the legends and history of this castle at his tongue's end."

"Yes," said the Princess, "if anyone know, it's Jessac, and I think he served for a time in Lotzen Castle-have him here, Major, if you please."

The old man came, tall, slender, shrivelled of face, white and thin of hair, yet erect and vigorous, despite his almost four and a half score years. They raised men, and kept them long, in the tingling, snapping, life-giving air of the Voragian mountains.

"Don't kneel, Jessac," the Regent exclaimed, giving him her hand.

He bent and kissed it with the most intense devotion.

"My little Princess! my little Princess!" he repeated; "G.o.d is good to have let old Jessac see you once more before he dies." Then he straightened, and, turning sharply toward the Archduke, scanned him with an intentness almost savage. Suddenly his hand rose in salute. "Yes, you're a man, and a Dalberg, too-the finest Dalberg these old eyes ever saw."

And Armand understood, and went to him, and took his hand, and held it.

"Every one loves her, Jessac," he said, "but none quite as you and I."

Then he drew him over to the table. "Do you know the interior of Lotzen Castle?" he asked.

"As I know this one, my lord-I lived in it for twenty years in my young days; even now I could go blindfolded from gate to highest turret."

"Is this plan accurate now? See, here is the gateway, and this is the keep."

"I understand, sir."-He studied it for a little while, following the lines with his finger, and muttering brokenly to himself, under his breath. "Yes, Your Highness, it's about the same, except that here is an outer building for servants, and here a storehouse; and the arrangement of the rooms in the main part is some different, particularly on the second floor, where several have been made out of one; but the stairway and hall are still as they always were. Indeed, sir, there has been small change or improvement since long before the present lord's father died.

Duke Ferdinand had never visited it for more than a score of years, until a few weeks ago, just a little while before our gracious master was called--"

The old man was garrulous; so far, age had not missed him; and here the Archduke interrupted.

"Jessac," he said kindly, "you have made all that very clear; now can you tell us if there is any secret pa.s.sage in the castle?"

"One, sir," was the prompt answer; "leastwise, I know one, there may be others."

"And it?"

"From the library to the postern gate, near the west tower-this is it, sir," indicating the line on the plan; "many is the time I've used it, his lordship being absent, when I wanted to get out at night; indeed, sir, there is a key to the postern still here, as well as duplicates to almost every door. They were not surrendered when King Henry gave the place to the late Duke-all the locks had been changed shortly before that. Would Your Highness care to see the keys?-they are in the armory."

"Bring them here," said the Constable quickly.... "I know by experience, sir, that if Jessac get you into the armory, you won't escape for hours; he has a story for every piece in it, and wants to tell them all."

The old man came back, a dozen large keys jangling; and laid them on the table.

"This is to the postern," he said; "it's smaller than the others, so it could be carried more easily, you know, sir-these bra.s.s tags, sir, show where they belong."

The Archduke looked them over.

"I don't see the key from the library to the secret pa.s.sage," he said.

"There is none, sir; the big stone in the middle of the side wall of the library, and the one on the right just inside the postern arch, revolve when pushed at the upper edge-this way, Your Highness," and he demonstrated, using a book as the stone.

"Thank you, Jessac," said Armand, with a smile and a nod of dismissal; "we may want you again to-morrow. I'll keep the keys," and he swept them into a drawer of the desk.

Then the Constable withdrew, and for a while Armand and Moore studied the plan, and went over the problem confronting them; and which, though greatly simplified now, was still difficult and delicate beyond anything either had ever been obliged to solve. Perilous it was, too-but that neither regarded for himself; and Moore would gladly have a.s.sumed it alone could he have insured thereby the Archduke's safety.

Through it all the Princess watched them, harkening carefully to what was said, and saying a few things herself, mainly in the shape of questions which showed that, even if to her the draft did resemble an embroidery pattern, she was astonishingly apt at following the discussion. But when Armand remarked that he would make the attempt that very night, she interposed promptly.

"Wait until to-morrow," she urged; "take at least one night's rest; you need it; and the extra day may disclose something as to the situation in Lotzen Castle."

"To-night is the proper time," said the Archduke; "we may not be expected then; we shall be most a.s.suredly to-morrow; it's our one chance for a surprise."

"And with our dear cousin that chance is no chance, as you are very well aware," said she; "he knows you are here, and why you are here, and he is ready for you this instant. No, no, dear, it's simply your natural impetuosity, which I came along to moderate; and here is my first veto: not to-night." She put her hand on his arm. "Please, Armand, please; don't you understand-I want to be sure of you a little longer; the day you enter Lotzen Castle may be our last."

Moore turned quickly away-and the Archduke looked once into the soft eyes, and at the adorable smile; and the eyes and the smile conquered, as eyes and smile always will when the one woman uses them, as the one woman always can, if she try.

"I ought not to let you persuade me," he said, with a half serious shake of his hand, "but-you're pretty hard to resist. At least, you won't prohibit my riding over toward the Castle, and having a look at it now, in broad day, if I promise not to venture inside nor very near."