CHAPTER XII. BEFORE THEM ALL!
GREAT as was the risk and immense as were the difficulties created bythe course which Mr. Rassendyll adopted, I cannot doubt that he actedfor the best in the light of the information which he possessed. Hisplan was to disclose himself in the character of the king to Helsing,to bind him to secrecy, and make him impose the same obligation on hiswife, daughter, and servants. The chancellor was to be quieted with theexcuse of urgent business, and conciliated by a promise that he shouldknow its nature in the course of a few hours; meanwhile an appeal to hisloyalty must suffice to insure obedience. If all went well in the daythat had now dawned, by the evening of it the letter would be destroyed,the queen's peril past, and Rudolf once more far away from Strelsau.Then enough of the truth--no more--must be disclosed. Helsing would betold the story of Rudolf Rassendyll and persuaded to hold his tongueabout the harum-scarum Englishman (we are ready to believe much ofan Englishman) having been audacious enough again to play the king inStrelsau. The old chancellor was a very good fellow, and I do not thinkthat Rudolf did wrong in relying upon him. Where he miscalculated was,of course, just where he was ignorant. The whole of what the queen'sfriends, ay, and the queen herself, did in Strelsau, became useless andmischievous by reason of the king's death; their action must have beenutterly different, had they been aware of that catastrophe; but theirwisdom must be judged only according to their knowledge.
In the first place, the chancellor himself showed much good sense. Evenbefore he obeyed the king's summons he sent for the two servants andcharged them, on pain of instant dismissal and worse things to follow,to say nothing of what they had seen. His commands to his wife anddaughter were more polite, doubtless, but no less peremptory. He maywell have supposed that the king's business was private as well asimportant when it led his Majesty to be roaming the streets of Strelsauat a moment when he was supposed to be at the Castle of Zenda, and toenter a friend's house by the window at such untimely hours. The merefacts were eloquent of secrecy. Moreover, the king had shaved hisbeard--the ladies were sure of it--and this, again, though it might bemerely an accidental coincidence, was also capable of signifying a veryurgent desire to be unknown. So the chancellor, having given his orders,and being himself aflame with the liveliest curiosity, lost no time inobeying the king's commands, and arrived at my house before six o'clock.
When the visitor was announced Rudolf was upstairs, having a bath andsome breakfast. Helga had learnt her lesson well enough to entertain thevisitor until Rudolf appeared. She was full of apologies for my absence,protesting that she could in no way explain it; neither could she somuch as conjecture what was the king's business with her husband. Sheplayed the dutiful wife whose virtue was obedience, whose greatest sinwould be an indiscreet prying into what it was not her part to know.
"I know no more," she said, "than that Fritz wrote to me to expect theking and him at about five o'clock, and to be ready to let them in bythe window, as the king did not wish the servants to be aware of hispresence."
The king came and greeted Helsing most graciously. The tragedy andcomedy of these busy days were strangely mingled; even now I can hardlyhelp smiling when I picture Rudolf, with grave lips, but that distanttwinkle in his eye (I swear he enjoyed the sport), sitting down by theold chancellor in the darkest corner of the room, covering him withflattery, hinting at most strange things, deploring a secret obstacle toimmediate confidence, promising that to-morrow, at latest, he would seekthe advice of the wisest and most tried of his counselors, appealingto the chancellor's loyalty to trust him till then. Helsing, blinkingthrough his spectacles, followed with devout attention the longnarrative that told nothing, and the urgent exhortation that masked atrick. His accents were almost broken with emotion as he put himselfabsolutely at the king's disposal, and declared that he could answer forthe discretion of his family and household as completely as for his own.
"Then you're a very lucky man, my dear chancellor," said Rudolf, witha sigh which seemed to hint that the king in his palace was not sofortunate. Helsing was immensely pleased. He was all agog to go and tellhis wife how entirely the king trusted to her honor and silence.
There was nothing that Rudolf more desired than to be relieved ofthe excellent old fellow's presence; but, well aware of the supremeimportance of keeping him in a good temper, he would not hear of hisdeparture for a few minutes.
"At any rate, the ladies won't talk till after breakfast, and since theygot home only at five o'clock they won't breakfast yet awhile," said he.
So he made Helsing sit down, and talked to him. Rudolf had not failed tonotice that the Count of Luzau-Rischenheim had been a little surprisedat the sound of his voice; in this conversation he studiously kept histones low, affecting a certain weakness and huskiness such as he haddetected in the king's utterances, as he listened behind the curtainin Sapt's room at the castle. The part was played as completely andtriumphantly as in the old days when he ran the gauntlet of every eye inStrelsau. Yet if he had not taken such pains to conciliate old Helsing,but had let him depart, he might not have found himself driven to agreater and even more hazardous deception.
They were conversing together alone. My wife had been prevailed on byRudolf to lie down in her room for an hour. Sorely needing rest, shehad obeyed him, having first given strict orders that no member of thehousehold should enter the room where the two were except on an expresssummons. Fearing suspicion, she and Rudolf had agreed that it was betterto rely on these injunctions than to lock the door again as they had thenight before.
But while these things passed at my house, the queen and Bernensteinwere on their way to Strelsau. Perhaps, had Sapt been at Zenda, hispowerful influence might have availed to check the impulsive expedition;Bernenstein had no such authority, and could only obey the queen'speremptory orders and pathetic prayers. Ever since Rudolf Rassendyllleft her, three years before, she had lived in stern self-repression,never her true self, never for a moment able to be or to do what everyhour her heart urged on her. How are these things done? I doubt if aman lives who could do them; but women live who do them. Now his suddencoming, and the train of stirring events that accompanied it, his dangerand hers, his words and her enjoyment of his presence, had all workedtogether to shatter her self-control; and the strange dream, heighteningthe emotion which was its own cause, left her with no conscious desiresave to be near Mr. Rassendyll, and scarcely with a fear except for hissafety. As they journeyed her talk was all of his peril, never of thedisaster which threatened herself, and which we were all strivingwith might and main to avert from her head. She traveled alone withBernenstein, getting rid of the lady who attended her by some carelesspretext, and she urged on him continually to bring her as speedily asmight be to Mr. Rassendyll. I cannot find much blame for her. Rudolfstood for all the joy in her life, and Rudolf had gone to fight with theCount of Hentzau. What wonder that she saw him, as it were, dead? Yetstill she would have it that, in his seeming death, all men hailed himfor their king. Well, it was her love that crowned him.
As they reached the city, she grew more composed, being persuaded byBernenstein that nothing in her bearing must rouse suspicion. Yet shewas none the less resolved to seek Mr. Rassendyll at once. In truth, shefeared even then to find him dead, so strong was the hold of herdream on her; until she knew that he was alive she could not rest.Bernenstein, fearful that the strain would kill her, or rob her ofreason, promised everything; and declared, with a confidence which hedid not feel, that beyond doubt Mr. Rassendyll was alive and well.
"But where--where?" she cried eagerly, with clasped hands.
"We're most likely, madam, to find him at Fritz von Tarlenheim's,"answered the lieutenant. "He would wait there till the time came toattack Rupert, or, if the thing is over, he will have returned there."
"Then let us drive there at once," she urged.
Bernenstein, however, persuaded her to go to the palace first and let itbe known there that she was going to pay a visit to my wife. She arrivedat the palace at eight
o'clock, took a cup of chocolate, and thenordered her carriage. Bernenstein alone accompanied her when she set outfor my house about nine. He was, by now, hardly less agitated than thequeen herself.
In her entire preoccupation with Mr. Rassendyll, she gave little thoughtto what might have happened at the hunting lodge; but Bernenstein drewgloomy auguries from the failure of Sapt and myself to return at theproper time. Either evil had befallen us, or the letter had reached theking before we arrived at the lodge; the probabilities seemed to him tobe confined to these alternatives. Yet when he spoke in this strain tothe queen, he could get from her nothing except, "If we can find Mr.Rassendyll, he will tell us what to do."
Thus, then, a little after nine in the morning the queen's carriagedrove up to my door. The ladies of the chancellor's family had enjoyed avery short night's rest, for their heads came bobbing out of window themoment the wheels were heard; many people were about now, and the crownon the panels attracted the usual small crowd of loiterers. Bernensteinsprang out and gave his hand to the queen. With a hasty slight bow tothe onlookers, she hastened up the two or three steps of the porch,and with her own hand rang the bell. Inside, the carriage had just beenobserved. My wife's waiting-maid ran hastily to her mistress; Helga waslying on her bed; she rose at once, and after a few moments of necessarypreparations (or such preparations as seem to ladies necessary, howevergreat the need of haste may be) hurried downstairs to receive herMajesty--and to warn her Majesty. She was too late. The door was alreadyopen. The butler and the footman both had run to it, and thrown it openfor the queen. As Helga reached the foot of the stairs, her Majesty wasjust entering the room where Rudolf was, the servants attending her, andBernenstein standing behind, his helmet in his hand.
Rudolf and the chancellor had been continuing their conversation. Toavoid the observations of passers-by (for the interior of the room iseasy to see from the street), the blind had been drawn down, and theroom was in deep shadow. They had heard the wheels, but neither of themdreamt that the visitor could be the queen. It was an utter surprise tothem when, without their orders, the door was suddenly flung open. Thechancellor, slow of movement, and not, if I may say it, over-quick ofbrain, sat in his corner for half a minute or more before he rose to hisfeet. On the other hand, Rudolf Rassendyll was the best part of the wayacross the room in an instant. Helga was at the door now, and she thrusther head round young Bernenstein's broad shoulders. Thus she sawwhat happened. The queen, forgetting the servants, and not observingHelsing--seeming indeed to stay for nothing, and to think of nothing,but to have her thoughts and heart filled with the sight of the man sheloved and the knowledge of his safety--met him as he ran towards her,and, before Helga, or Bernenstein, or Rudolf himself, could stay her orconceive what she was about to do, caught both his hands in hers with anintense grasp, crying:
"Rudolf, you're safe! Thank God, oh, thank God!" and she carried hishands to her lips and kissed them passionately.
A moment of absolute silence followed, dictated in the servants bydecorum, in the chancellor by consideration, in Helga and Bernensteinby utter consternation. Rudolf himself also was silent, but whetherfrom bewilderment or an emotion answering to hers, I know not. Either itmight well be. The stillness struck her. She looked up in his eyes; shelooked round the room and saw Helsing, now bowing profoundly from thecorner; she turned her head with a sudden frightened jerk, and glancedat my motionless deferential servants. Then it came upon her what shehad done. She gave a quick gasp for breath, and her face, always pale,went white as marble. Her features set in a strange stiffness, andsuddenly she reeled where she stood, and fell forward. Only Rudolf'shand bore her up. Thus for a moment, too short to reckon, they stood.Then he, a smile of great love and pity coming on his lips, drew herto him, and passing his arm about her waist, thus supported her. Then,smiling still, he looked down on her, and said in a low tone, yetdistinct enough for all to hear:
"All is well, dearest."
My wife gripped Bernenstein's arm, and he turned to find her pale-facedtoo, with quivering lips and shining eyes. But the eyes had a message,and an urgent one, for him. He read it; he knew that it bade him secondwhat Rudolf Rassendyll had done. He came forward and approached Rudolf;then he fell on one knee, and kissed Rudolf's left hand that wasextended to him.
"I'm very glad to see you, Lieutenant von Bernenstein," said RudolfRassendyll.
For a moment the thing was done, ruin averted, and safety secured.Everything had been at stake; that there was such a man as RudolfRassendyll might have been disclosed; that he had once filled the king'sthrone was a high secret which they were prepared to trust to Helsingunder stress of necessity; but there remained something which must behidden at all costs, and which the queen's passionate exclamation hadthreatened to expose. There was a Rudolf Rassendyll, and he had beenking; but, more than all this, the queen loved him and he the queen.That could be told to none, not even to Helsing; for Helsing, though hewould not gossip to the town, would yet hold himself bound to carrythe matter to the king. So Rudolf chose to take any future difficultiesrather than that present and certain disaster. Sooner than entail it onher he loved, he claimed for himself the place of her husband and thename of king. And she, clutching at the only chance that her act left,was content to have it so. It may be that for an instant her weary,tortured brain found sweet rest in the dim dream that so it was, forshe let her head lie there on his breast and her eyes closed, her facelooking very peaceful, and a soft little sigh escaping in pleasure fromher lips.
But every moment bore its peril and exacted its effort. Rudolf led thequeen to a couch, and then briefly charged the servants not to speak ofhis presence for a few hours. As they had no doubt perceived, said he,from the queen's agitation, important business was on foot; it demandedhis presence in Strelsau, but required also that his presence should notbe known. A short time would free them from the obligation which he nowasked of their loyalty. When they had withdrawn, bowing obedience, heturned to Helsing, pressed his hand warmly, reiterated his request forsilence, and said that he would summon the chancellor to his presenceagain later in the day, either where he was or at the palace. Then hebade all withdraw and leave him alone for a little with the queen. Hewas obeyed; but Helsing had hardly left the house when Rudolf calledBernenstein back, and with him my wife. Helga hastened to the queen, whowas still sorely agitated; Rudolf drew Bernenstein aside, and exchangedwith him all their news. Mr. Rassendyll was much disturbed at findingthat no tidings had come from Colonel Sapt and myself, but hisapprehension was greatly increased on learning the untoward accident bywhich the king himself had been at the lodge the night before. Indeed,he was utterly in the dark; where the king was, where Rupert, where wewere, he did not know. And he was here in Strelsau, known as the king tohalf a dozen people or more, protected only by their promises, liable atany moment to be exposed by the coming of the king himself, or even by amessage from him.
Yet, in face of all perplexities, perhaps even the more because of thedarkness in which he was enveloped, Rudolf held firm to his purpose.There were two things that seemed plain. If Rupert had escaped the trapand was still alive with the letter on him, Rupert must be found; herewas the first task. That accomplished, there remained for Rudolf himselfnothing save to disappear as quietly and secretly as he had come,trusting that his presence could be concealed from the man whose namehe had usurped. Nay, if need were, the king must be told that RudolfRassendyll had played a trick on the chancellor, and, having enjoyed hispleasure, was gone again. Everything could, in the last resort, be told,save that which touched the queen's honor.
At this moment the message which I despatched from the station at Hofbaureached my house. There was a knock at the door. Bernenstein opened itand took the telegram, which was addressed to my wife. I had written allthat I dared to trust to such a means of communication, and here it is:
"I am coming to Strelsau. The king will not leave the lodge to-day. Thecount came, but left before we arrived. I do not know whether he hasgone to Strelsau. H
e gave no news to the king."
"Then they didn't get him!" cried Bernenstein in deep disappointment.
"No, but he gave no news to the king," said Rudolf triumphantly.
They were all standing now round the queen, who sat on the couch. Sheseemed very faint and weary, but at peace. It was enough for her thatRudolf fought and planned for her.
"And see this," Rudolf went on. "'The king will not leave the lodgeto-day.' Thank God, then, we have to-day!"
"Yes, but where's Rupert?"
"We shall know in an hour, if he's in Strelsau," and Mr. Rassendylllooked as though it would please him well to find Rupert in Strelsau."Yes, I must seek him. I shall stand at nothing to find him. If I canonly get to him as the king, then I'll be the king. We have to-day!"
My message put them in heart again, although it left so much stillunexplained. Rudolf turned to the queen.
"Courage, my queen," said he. "A few hours now will see an end of allour dangers."
"And then?" she asked.
"Then you'll be safe and at rest," said he, bending over her andspeaking softly. "And I shall be proud in the knowledge of having savedyou."
"And you?"
"I must go," Helga heard him whisper as he bent lower still, and she andBernenstein moved away.