An Imperial Marriage

  CHAPTER XXIX

  JUST IN TIME

  But just when matters appeared to be at their worst, the luck turned.The man who had prevented Dragen before intervened now.

  "You can get him some brandy and he'll be all right."

  "Where is it?" came the reply; and there was a pause.

  "I shan't wait," said the former speaker again. "I shall take the riskof going. Fritz is just below with the horses. If there's any violencebefore we get back, you'll have to answer for it."

  "Answer to hell," growled Dragen fiercely.

  "I shall split on the whole thing if there is, mind that," retorted theother in quite as angry a tone; and he passed my hiding-place, openedthe door, and went out.

  He tried to close it sharply behind him; but I took a risk at thatmoment and thrust my foot in the way. Fortunately he was in too bad atemper to care whether he left it open or shut, and ran down the steps.

  Some one laughed.

  "Pigheaded fool," growled Dragen.

  "Would he split?" asked another nervously.

  "Perhaps the beggar's well enough to talk now. Let's see."

  "Bring the lantern," said another, and the shuffling of feet followed.

  I dared not wait any longer; and moreover I had another plan now thanmerely to escape. I guessed that the man I was following meant to go tovon Felsen; and I meant him to take me with him.

  I opened the door stealthily and slipped out. The carriage was sometwenty yards away, and I darted toward it. My lack of boots rendered myfootfalls absolutely silent, and I reached it, unseen and unheard, justas the man had got in and was turning to shut the door.

  In the darkness he mistook me for one of his companions, "Coming, afterall, are you?" he asked. I jumped in and he himself closed the doorwith a slam, and the carriage started.

  Before he had time to see his mistake my hand was on his throat and myknife threatened him. "If you care for your life, keep silent," I criedbetween my clenched teeth.

  For a few moments, precious as gold to me, surprise kept him quiet. Iknew that my escape must already have been discovered, and I expected tohear the cries and shouts of the rest calling to us to stop.

  Then he began to struggle.

  "Keep still," I said fiercely. "I mean you no harm; but if you try toresist, I'll plunge this into your heart as surely as there is a livingGod."

  At that moment came the cries behind us which I had feared; and thedriver began to check the horses.

  "Tell him to drive on, or you'll not live another second," I hissed,releasing my grip on his throat so that he could speak.

  He hesitated and I raised the knife higher as if to strike.

  "It's all right, Fritz. Get on as fast as you can," he called.

  I drew a breath of intense relief. I had him now, and he was in deadlyfear for his life. I ran my hand quickly over him and found hisrevolver and took it.

  "Have you a knife?" His hand went to it. "Throw it on the front seatthere."

  He obeyed me and I tossed it out of the window. Then I sat down oppositeto him and let him get back his scared wits.

  He stared at me helplessly cowed by the suddenness of the attack andoverawed by the weapon with which I kept him covered. I, in my turn,watched him quite as closely while I considered what line to take.

  That he was going to von Felsen I had convinced myself; and I meant togo with him if I had to compel him to lead the way with my pistol at hishead. But I had no wish to use force if any other means could be found.

  I was not without hope of this. His fear about the money reward beinglost if I came to harm, his squeamishness on the score of violence, histhreat to tell what he knew, and his ready submission now, all tended tosuggest that he was of a very different type of scoundrel from Dragenand the rest.

  I gave him five minutes in which to pull himself together and thenopened fire.

  "You've made a pretty bad mess of all this," I said sharply.

  He gave an uneasy start at the sound of my voice, but did not reply.

  "You were in the thing to take my life, you know, and you can probablysee your finish by now."

  "I didn't threaten your life. Dragen would have done for you just nowwhen you were insensible if I hadn't stopped him," he answered after apause.

  "I wasn't insensible. I know what passed."

  "Then you know what I say is true," he said with a note of eagerness.

  "Yes, I know it." I paused to see if he would volunteer anything more.He did not however. "If you like to answer my questions I may makethings easier for you. Where are we going?"

  He paused a long time before replying. "What are you going to do withme?"

  "Shoot you if you try any pranks; hand you over to the police if youforce me; give you your liberty and pay you well if you come over to myside in the affair and make a clean breast of the whole thing."

  He chewed this in silence for a while and then asked: "How do I knowthat?"

  "The first two you can judge for yourself; the last you'll have to takeon trust. You can please yourself. How much were you to make by thisjob?"

  "Five hundred marks; but it wasn't only the money. Dragen has thewhiphand of me."

  "He'll want all his hands for himself after this, and you'll stand byhis side in the dock--unless you go in the witness box against him.Tell all you know, and you shall not have five hundred, but a thousandmarks."

  "They'd have my life."

  "Not if you leave the country. I'll add the passage money to America.You're not tough enough for a real scoundrel, you know; and you'll get afresh start there."

  "I shouldn't be in it at all if it weren't for Dragen and the gambling."

  "Well, you must make up your mind quickly."

  "I'll do it," he said, after another long pause, drawing a deep breath."But you must keep me safe from the rest until it's over;" and then hebegan to tell me.

  He said his name was Lander, and that he had been forced into the affairby Dragen. He had been one of the men who had made the search for thepapers at my house, and afterwards had played the part of a plainclothes police officer at Hagar's, where he had found out that vonFelsen was at the back of everything.

  The latter's orders had been to recover possession of the papers at anycost; and when that had been done I was to be kept a close prisoner fora week. But von Felsen's terms had been, no papers no pay; and thus mydeclaration that they were in safe hands had caused a split and aquarrel; and Lander and one of the others had decided to go back to vonFelsen for fresh instructions.

  He had barely finished his story when the carriage stopped at vonFelsen's house. Remembering that I had found it close shut when I wasthere before, I was surprised to see lights in several of the windows.I concluded that he had thought it safe to return there when he knewthat I had fallen into Dragen's hands.

  We got out and I told Lander to ask for von Felsen and say that we had amessage from Dragen; and when the servant opened the door, I stood onone side and kept my face out of the light.

  The fellow was inclined to be suspicious; and was going to shut the doorin our faces on the pretence of going to call his master when I lurchedagainst Lander, pushed him into the house and followed. Answering theservants' protests with a drunken oath, I staggered to a chair andflopped into it.

  He stared at me for a moment, hesitating whether to try and put me out;and then knocked at the door of von Felsen's private room.

  The sound of several voices reached us as he opened it; and after apause von Felsen came out. I let my head loll forward so that he shouldnot at first see my face; and he spoke to Lander. "Who are you, andwhat do you want?" he asked sharply.

  Having no cue from me, the man was at a loss for a reply; so he motionedtoward me and muttered something about the papers.

  "Turn up the light in the library," he told the servant; and then to us:"Come in here;" and he led the way.

  I rose and stagge
red after them, lurching first against the servant ashe came out of the room, and then against von Felsen, who stood holdingthe door. In this way I shouldered him into the room and then shut thedoor.

  "Who is this drunken beast?" cried von Felsen, as I was fumbling withthe door fastening.

  Then I turned and faced him and waited for the recognition.

  I was not surprised that it did not follow at once. I had on the suitof workman's overalls; they were torn and dishevelled as the result ofthe scrimmage with Dragen; I was as dirty as a sweep; a soft, rathergreasy cloth cap was drawn well down over my face; I was bootless, andhad just been assuming drunkenness. I have no doubt I looked a very lowgrade sort of scoundrel.

  "Why do you bring this fellow here?" he demanded of Lander angrily.

  "Have another look at me, von Felsen," I said quietly, fixing my eyes onhim, and crossing toward him.

  He fell back from me as if I were the devil in the flesh and leantagainst the table behind him, staring at me wide-eyed, breathing hard,deathly white, speechless, and shaking like a jelly.

  I was human enough to enjoy his discomfiture, and just stared at himwhile he tortured himself with the thoughts which my most unwelcomearrival had started. Lander glanced from one to the other of us inperplexity and for more than a minute the tense silence was unbroken.

  Then von Felsen clasped his hands to his head with a faint groan ofagony.

  "Where is Fraeulein von Ringheim?" I asked.

  At the sound of my voice he glanced up at me and then cowered and shranklike a beaten cur.

  The silent gesture chilled me with sudden dread. My confidence and thesense of victory fell away from me like a dropped cloak. I was too lateafter all. A frenzy of rage seized upon me; I rushed upon him andseizing him by the throat, shook him till his teeth chattered, and flunghim away, and sent him asprawl to the ground.

  "You shall pay with your life for this," I cried fiercely. "Go for thepolice, Lander," I said turning to my companion. "Here, take this cardto Herr Feldermann;" and I scribbled a message to Feldermann to come.

  "No, no, wait," said von Felsen in a weak voice as he struggled to hisfeet. "Wait till we have talked together."

  "We've passed the time for talk," I answered with an oath. "Where isFraeulein Althea?"

  "Send him away;" and he motioned toward Lander.

  "Where is she?" I asked again. "I'm not safe to fool in this mood." Iwas beside myself with the lust for revenge, and could have found it inme to tear the life out of him there and then. "This is the end ofthings for you."

  "I will tell you all. Send him away. She is safe and well."

  "Wait in the hall there till I call you," I told Lander; and I unlockedthe door, let him out, and relocked it.

  "Now you treacherous devil, out with the truth," I thundered. "Have youforced her to marry you? If you have, I swear on my soul that you shallpay for it with your life."

  He fell back before me, grey and sweat-dappled with terror.

  "For God's sake!" he exclaimed. "I admit everything."

  "Tell me," I stormed.

  "She is in the room across there with the others."

  "Come then;" and I twisted my fingers into his collar and hauled himtoward the door. He hung back and squirmed like a reluctant puppy atthe end of the leash.

  As we reached it some one knocked sharply on the panels.

  "Help! Help! I am being murdered," yelled von Felsen.

  "Break in this door," cried a voice.

  Keeping my grip on his collar I unlocked the door and threw it open.

  Herr Borsen and a couple of strangers rushed in, and at the door of theroom opposite stood two women with Althea behind them.

  Borsen did not recognize me, and he and the other men were throwingthemselves upon me to rescue von Felsen from my clutches when Altheabroke past the women and called me by name.

  "Bastable!" exclaimed Borsen with a great start of surprise as he heldthe others in check. "What on earth is the meaning of this?"

  I took no notice of him and hurling von Felsen back into the room pushedthrough to Althea and took her hands.

  "All is well with you?" I asked.

  "Yes. You came just in time," she cried, pressing my hands andtrembling. "But with you? I have been mad with fear."

  "Nothing matters now," I replied, with a smile of intense relief.

  "I insist on knowing the meaning of your forcing yourself into thishouse in this disguise, and of your attempt on Herr von Felsen's life,Mr. Bastable," said Borsen angrily, coming up to me.

  For the moment I could not answer him. The reaction from the furiousrage which had maddened me in my fear that I had arrived too late, andthe sense of infinite relief at Althea's assurances, rendered me as weakas a a girl. I leaned against the lintel of the door and met his angrylook with a fatuous smile.

  Quick to see this, von Felsen made an attempt to get out of the room."I'll send for the police," he said with an effort at bluster.

  This roused me. I pushed him back. "Get me some brandy," I said toBorsen. "I am faint a bit. You shall have all the story you want; butthat little beast must stop here."

  "This is monstrous," cried Borsen indignantly.

  "Lander, take my message to Herr Feldermann. If he wants the police, heshall have them," I added to Borsen.

  "No, no," cried von Felsen hurriedly. "We'd better talk first."

  Borsen looked at him keenly and then at me.

  "You see?" I said. "You needn't go, Lander."

  Borsen crossed and spoke eagerly to von Felsen, and I turned to Althea,who brought me a glass of wine.

  I drank it eagerly, and as I handed her back the glass our hands touchedand our eyes met. "I can scarcely believe it all yet. You are reallynot hurt?" she asked wistfully.

  "I've lost my boots and worn out a pair of socks, but otherwise I'm allright;" and I smiled and held up one foot, the sock of which wasdangling in tatters.

  "How can you smile at it like that?"

  "Because we've won. A narrow margin; but it's a win all right."

  "But you were in the hands of the police. I saw you."

  "No. That was only a make-believe. That little brute planned it todeceive you. But he won't do any more planning for a while. They werehis men dressed up, and he worked it so that you should see it all foryourself."

  "He told me in the afternoon that you had been arrested, and that hecould get you out if I would marry him at once. I insisted on havingsome proof. And when I saw you to-night I--I gave in."

  "These people were here for the marriage then?"

  "I insisted on having witnesses and on hearing from Herr Borsen thatwhat Herr von Felsen had promised would be done. That caused the delay.If you had been half an hour later----"

  "Von Felsen would have gone to the scaffold," I finished, when shepaused.

  "Oh, Paul!"

  "It's true. But here comes Borsen. You had better go home to Chalice'sI think."

  "I don't want to leave you again. You get into such troubles."

  "I've only lost my boots," I laughed. And at that she smiled too.

  "We had better come to an understanding, Mr. Bastable," said Borsen,coming up then. "You know of course that you have to explain manythings in regard to your association with the Polish plot."

  Althea started in alarm at this.

  "You can take that threat back, Borsen, or I shall say what I have tosay before the rest of the people here," I returned sharply.

  "I didn't mean it as a threat," he replied.

  "So much the better. Let some one see Fraeulein von Ringheim home, andthen we'll talk."

  The minister who was to have performed the ceremony agreed to go withher; and then Borsen, von Felsen and I were left alone.