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Show -T " 1 I ? Z?y . X MARY ROBERTS RINEHART I 5 5 ; j C--'- Coapan7 AU Rlght. Rc.3erTed CoPrrlgM, H1T. by Sta.oberts lUnrt f S VXl,.VlVlV,VlV,A,wi-lwlX,VvailVL-.tllVMMVwi. . . " I I CLD ADELBERT OF THE OPERA LOSES HIS JOB, AN EVENT WHICH STARTS A CHAIN OF CIRCUMSTANCES. Synopsis. Tim frown prince of Livonia. Ferdinand William Otto, y,'"rs ol,i' ,:lk"" tho "P'Tii l.y liis aunt, tires of the singin" and slips away to the parlc, where he makes the acquaintance of Bobby Ihorpo, ,f(lo Ameriean boy. Vteturning to the palace at night, he linds everything in an uproar as a result of tile search which has been made for him. The same night the chancellor calls to consult the boys grandfather, the old king, who is very 111. The chancellor suggests sug-gests that to preserve the kingdom, the friendship of the neighboring kingdom of Karnia be secured by giving the Princess Hedwig in mar-nage mar-nage to King Karl of that, country. Countess Lnschek. iadv-in-waitiii" to l'rlncess Aiimincinta, Iledwig's molher, is in love with King Raid and plots to prevent his marriage to Hedwig. lied wig, who loves Nikky Larisch, Otto's aid do camp, is dismayed when told of the plans for her marriage. Countess Loschek sends a secret message to King Karl. The messenger is attacked by agents of the terrorists and a dummy letter substituted. Captain Larisch, unaware of the substitu- 'i holds up Karl's chauffeur anil secures the envelope. The captain impersonates Karl's chauffeur and exchanges the sheet within the envelope for some cigarette papers. On delivering the envelope to Kail, Larisch is made prisoner when the deception is discovered. Meltlich, chancellor of Livonia, goes to Karnia and arranges wiili Karl for his marriage to Iledwig. Karl thereupon releases Captain j Larisch. CHAPTER VIII Continued. -8- The quay receded, red carpet and all. Only the blare of the hand followed them, and with the persistence of sound over water, followed them for some time. It was Iledwig who showed the most depression on the trip, after nil. Early that morning she had attended mass in the royal chapel. All the household had been there, and the king had been wheeled in, and had sat in his box, high in the wall, the door of which opened from his private suite. Looking up, Iledwig had seen his gray old face set and rigid. The court had worn black, and the chapel was draped in crepe. She had fallen on her knees and had tried dutifully to pray, for the dead Hubert But her whole soul was crying out for help for herself. So now she sat very quiet, and wondered won-dered about things. l'rince Ferdinand William Otto sat by the rail and watched the green hanks flying by. When no one was looking, he broke a (lower from the bouquet and (lung it overboard. He pretended that it was a boat, and was going down to Karnia, tilled with soldiers ready to fight. But the thought of soldiers brought Nikky to his mind. His face clouded. "It's very strange about Nikky," he said. "He is away somewhere. I wish lie had sent word he was going." Hedwig looked out over the river. The archduchess glanced at Miss Braithwaite. "There is no news?" she asked, in an undertone. "None," said Miss Braithwaite. A sudden suspicion rose in Iledwig's mind, and made her turn pale. What If they had sent him away? Perhaps they feared him enough for that ! If that were true, she would never know. She knew the ways of the palace well enough for that. In a sort of terror she glanced around the group, so comfortably com-fortably disposed. Her mother was looking out, with her cool, impassive gaze. Miss Braithwaite knitted. The countess, however, met her eyes, and there was something strange in them triumph and a bit of terror, too, had she but read them. For the countess had put in her pica for a holiday and had been refused. The new fortress faced the high road some five miles from the Karnian border. bor-der. It stood on a bluff over the river, and was, as the crown prince decided, not so unlike the desk, after all, except ex-cept that it had a moat around it. Iledwig and the countess went with .the party around the fortifications. .The archduchess and 7 lss Braithwaite Jiad sought a fire. Only the countess, : however seemed really interested. Iledwig seemed more intent on the distant dis-tant line of the border than on anything any-thing else. She stood on a rampart and stared out at it, looking very sad. l'vou the drill when at a word all the great guns rose and peeped over the edge at the valley below, and then dropped backed again as if they had seen enough even this (ailed to rouse her. "I wish you would listen, Hedwig," said the crown prince, almost fretfully. "It's so interesting. The enemy's soldiers sol-diers would come up the river in boats, i nd along that road on foot. And then we would raise the guns and shoot at them. And (he guns would drop back again, before the enemy had time to 1 im at them." But Iledwig's interest was so evidently evi-dently assumed that he turned to the countess. The countess professed smiiing terror, and stood a little wa? 1 ack from the guns, looking on. But Prince Ferdinand William Oito at last coaxed her to the top of the cmplace- went. "There's a fine view up there," he urged. "And the guns won't hurt you. .'There's nothing in them." To get up it was necessary to climb an iron ladder, Hedwig was al-eady (here. Abi'Wt a dozi a yung otlicers had helped her up. and reined as j many pairs of white g'ovo;, jiltlwacli Kodw't,- could rliirb liko 3 ut, and I really needed no assistance w hatever. I "You go up," said the crown prince eagerly, turning to the countess. "I'll . hold your bag, so you can climb." i He caught her handbag from her, and instantly something snapped in it. j The countess was climbing up the lad-; lad-; der. Bather dismayed, l'rince Ferdi-! Ferdi-! nand William Oito surveyed the bag. j Something had broken, he feared. And in another moment he saw what- it j was. The little watch which was set in one side of it had slipped away, leaving a round black hole. His heart beat a trifle faster. "I'm awfully worried," he called up to her, as he climbed. "I'm afraid I've j broken your bag. Something clicked, , and the watch is gone. It is not on the ground." It was well for the countess that the colonel was talking to Iledwig. Well for her, too, that the other officers were standing "behind with their eyes worshipfully on the princess. The countess turned gray white. "Don't worry, highness," she said, with stiff lips. "The watch falls back sometimes. I must have it repaired." But long after the tour of the ramparts ram-parts was over, after ammunition rooms had been visited, with their long lines of waiting shells, after the switchboard wdiich controlled the river mines had been inspected and explained, ex-plained, she was still trembling. Prince Ferdinand William Otto, looking at the hag later on, saw the watch in place, and drew a long breath of relief. CHAPTER IX. Old Adelbert. Old Adelbert of the opera had lost his position. No longer, a sausage in his pocket for refreshment, did he leave his little room daily for the opera. A young man, wlio made ogling eyes at Olga, of the garde-robe, and who was not careful to keep the lenses clean, had taken his place. He was hurt in his soldier's soul. There was no longer a place in the kingdom for those who had fought fruit. fru-it. The cry was for the young. And even in the first twenty-four hours a subtle change went on in him. His loyalty, on which he had built his creed of life, turned to bitterness. The first day of his idleness he wandered wan-dered into the back room of the cobbler's cob-bler's shop near by, where the butter seller from I he comer, the maker of artificial flowers for graves, and (he cobbler himstlf were gathered, and listened lis-tened without protest to such talk as would have roused him once to white a nger. But the ircu had not yet gone very deep, and one thing he would not permit. per-mit. It was when, in the conversation, one of them attacked the king. Then indeed he way roused to fury. . Once upon a time a student named Haeckel had occasionally backed him up in his defense of the royal family. But for some reason or other Haeckel came no more, and old Adelbert missed him. He had inquired for him frequently. fre-quently. "Where is the boy Haeckel?" he had asked one day. "I have not seen him lately." No one had replied. But a sort of grim silence settled over the little room. Old Adelbert, however, was not discerning. But, that first day of idleness, when he had left the cobbler's, he resolved not to return. They had not been unfriendly, but he had seen at once there was a difference. He was no longer old Adelbert of the opera. He was au old man only, and out of work. He spent hours that first free afternoon after-noon repairing his frayed linen and his shabby uniform, Willi his wooden leg stretched out before him and his pipe clutched (irmly in lis teeth. Then, freshly shaved and brushed, he j started on a painful search after work. j Willi no result. And, indeid. he was hopeless before he began. He was old and infirm. There was little that he j had even the courage to apply for. j True, he had his small pension, but SMit came only twice a year, and wa.s j sent, inract, to take care of an invalid daughter in the country. That was not his. He never used a penny of it. And he had saved a trifle, by living liv-ing on air, as the concierge declared. But misfortunes come in threes, like fires and other calamities. The afternoon after-noon of that very day brought a letter, let-ter, saying that the daughter was worse and must have an operation. Old Adelbert went to church and j burned a candle for her recovery, and j from there to the bank to send by registered mail the surgeon's fee. He was bankrupt in twenty-four hours. That evening in his extremity he did a reckless thing. He wrote a letter to j the king. He spent hours over it, first composing it in pencil and then copying copy-ing it with ink borrowed from the concierge. It began. "Sire," as he had learned was the form, and went on to remind his majesty, first, of the hospital hos-pital incident, which, having been forty for-ty years ago, might, have slipped the royal memory. Then came the facts his lost position, his daughter, the handicap of his wooden leg. It ended : with a plea for reinstatement or, failing fail-ing that, for any sort of work. He sent it, unfolded, in a large flat envelope, which also he had learned was the correct thing with kings, who for some reason or other do not like folded communications. Then he waited. He considered that a few hours should bring a return. No answer came. No answer ever came. For the king was ill, and secretaries secre-taries carefully sifted the royal mail. That night, in the concierge's bureau, bu-reau, he was treated to many incidents, inci-dents, all alike. The government took, but gave nothing. As well expect blood out of a stone. Instances were given, heartlessness piled on heart-lessness, heart-lessness, one sordid story on another. an-other. And as he listened there died in old Adelbert's soul his flaming love for his sovereign and his belief in him. His eyes took on a hard and haunted look. That night he walked past the palace and shook his fist at it. He was greatly ashamed of that, however, and never repeated it. But his soul was now an open sore, ready for' infection. infec-tion. . And Black Humbert bided his time. On the day of the excursion to the fortress old Adelbert decided to appeal to his fellow lodger, Herman Spier. Now and then, wdien he was affluent, he had paid small tribute to Herman hy means of the camp cookery on which he prided himself. ' "A soldier's mess !" he would say, and bring in a bowl of soup, or a slice of deer meat, broiled over hot coals in his tiny stove. "Eat it, man. These restaurants know nothing of food." Herman could not help him. But he eyed the old soldier appraisingly. He guessed shrewdly the growing uneasiness un-easiness behind Adelhe-fs brave front. If now one could enlist such a man for the cause, that would be worth doing. Among the veterans the old if Vi'rM "I Am Seeking a Student Named Haeckel." J man was influential, and hy this new policy of substituting fresh blood for stale, the government ftnd made many enemies among them. The old man's bitterness had been increased hy two things. First, although al-though he had been dismissed without notice, in the middle of the week, he had been paid only up to the hour of leaving. That was a grievance. Second, Sec-ond, being slow on his feet, one of the royal motor cars had almost run him down, and the police had cursed him roundly for being in the way. At last he determined to find Haeckel, the student. He did not know his Christian name, nor where he lodged. But he knew the corps he belonged to, by his small gray cap with a red band. ' He was very nervous when he made this final effort. Corps houses were curious places, he had heard, and full of secrets. Even the great professors from the university might not enter without invitation. And his experience had been that students paid small respect re-spect to uniforms or to age. In truth, he passed the building twice before he could Summon courage to touch the great brass knocker. And the arrogance arro-gance of its clamor, when at last he rapped, startled him again. But here at least he need not have feared. The student who was also doorkeeper door-keeper eyed him kindly. "Well, comrade?" com-rade?" he said. "I am seeking a student named Haeckel, of this corps," said old Adelbert Adel-bert stoutly. "Haeckel?" repeated the doorkeeper. "I think come in, comrade. I will inquire." For the name of Haeckel was, just then, one curiously significant. lie disappeared, and old Adelbert waited. When the doorkeeper returned, re-turned, it was to tell him to follow him, and to lead the way downstairs. Two or three students came toward him at once. "You are seeking Haeckel?" one of them asked. "I am. I knew' him, but not well. Lately, however, I have thought is he here?" The students exchanged glances. "He is not here," one said. "Where did you know him ?" "He came frequently to a shop I know of a cobbler's shop, a neighborhood neighbor-hood meeting place. A fine lad. I liked him. But recently he has not come, and knowing his corps, I came here to find him." They had hoped to learn something from him, and he knew nothing. "He has disappeared," they told him. "He is not at his lodging, .and he has left his classes. He went away suddenly, leaving everything. That is all we know." It sounded, sinister. Old Adelbert, heavy hearted, turned away and climbed again to the street. That gateway gate-way was closed, too. And he felt a pang of uneasiness. What could have happened to the boy? Was the world, after all, only a place of trouble? But now came good fortune, and, like evil, it came not singly. The operation was over, and his daughter on the mend. The fee was paid also. And the second followed on the heels of the first. He did not like Americans. Too often, in better days, had he heard the i merits of the American republic com- V pared with the shortcomings of his own government. When, as happened now and then, he met the American family on the staircase, he drew sharply aside that no touch of republicanism repub-licanism might contaminate his uniform. uni-form. On that day, however, things changed. First of all, he met the American lad in the hallway, and was pleased to see him doff his bit of a cap. Not many, nowadays, uncovered a head to him. The American lad was going down ; Adelbert was climbing, one step at a time, and carrying a small basket of provisions. The American boy, having passed, turned, hesitated, went back. "I'd like to carry that for you, if you don't mind." "Carry it?" "I am very strong," said the American Ameri-can boy stoutly. So Adelbert gave up his basket, and the two went up. Four long flights of stone stairs led to Adelbert's room. The ascent took time and patience. At the door Adelbert paused. Then, loneliness overcoming prejudice, "Come In," he said. The bare little room appealed to the hoy. "It's very nice, isn't it?" he said. "There's nothing to fall over." "And but little to sit on," old Adelbert Adel-bert added dryly. "However, two people peo-ple require but two chairs. Here is one." But the boy would not sit down He ranged the room, frankly curious exclaimed at the pair of ring doves' who hved in a box tied to the window sill, and asked for crumbs for them Adelbert brought bread from his small store. The boy .cheered him. His interest in the old saber, the intentuess with which he listened to its history, the politeness with which he ignored his hosts infirmity, all won the old man's heart. j These Americans downstairs were j not all bad, then. They were too rich j ot. course. No one should have meat three times a day, as the meat setter reported they did. And thev were paying pay-ing double rent for the apartment below. be-low. But that, of course,, they could not avoid, not knowing the real ehnr-o The boy was frankly delighted. And when old Adelbert brought forth from his basket a sausage and, boiling it lightly, served him a slice between two pieces of bread, an odd friendship was begun that was to have unforeseen unfore-seen consequences. They had broken bread together. Gradually, over the meal, and the )'-geous, and what not, old Adelbert unburdened his heart. He told of his years at the opera, where he had kept his glasses clean and listened to the music until he know by heart even the most difficult passages. He told of the crown prince, who always wished opera glasses, not because he needed them, but because he liked to turn them wrong end before, and thus make the audience appear at a great dis ranee. And then he told of the loss of his position. The American lad listened politelv but his mind was on the crown prince 'Does he wear a crown?" he do' manded. "I saw him once in a car nage, hut I think he had a hat. When will he be a king?" n "When the old king dies. He ia very old now. I was in a hospital Z7e after a battle. And he came .... I e put his hand on my shoulder like this" Ho illustrated it on the eh, d s "all ono-"...Hl said-" Considering Consider-ing that old Adelbert no longer loved his king,' it is strange to record that his voice broke. "Will he die soon?" Bobby put in. He found kliips as much of a novelty as to Prince Ferdinand William Otto they were the usual thing- "Who knows? But when he dies, the city will learn at once. The great bell of the cathedral, which never rings save at such times, will toll. They sav it is a sound never to be forgotten. I, of course, have never heard it. When it tolls, all in the city will fall on their knees and pray. It is the custom." Bobby, reared to strict Presbyterian-ism Presbyterian-ism and accustomed to kneeling but once a day, and that at night beside his bed, in the strict privacy of his own apartment, looked rather startled. "What will they pray for?" he said. And old Adelbert, with a new bitterness, bitter-ness, replied that the sons of kings needed much prayer. Sometimes they were hard and did cruel tilings. "And then the crown prince will be a king." Bobby reflected. "If I were a king, I'd make people stand around. rW ... i : . k "If I Were a King I'd Make People Stand Around." But has the crown prince only a grandfather, grand-father, and no father?" "He died the boy's father. He was murdered, and the princess his mother also." Bobby's eyes opened wide. "Who did it?" "Terrorists," said old Adelbert. And would not be persuaded to say more. That night at dinner Bobby Thorpe delivered himself of quite a speech. He sat at the table, and now and then, when the sour-faced governess looked at her plate, he slipped a bit of food to his dog, which waited beside him. "There's a very nice old man upstairs," up-stairs," he said. "He has a fine sword, and ring doves, and a wooden leg. And he used to rent opera glasses to the crown prince, only he turned them , firound. I'm going to try that with, yours, mother. We had sausage to-, to-, eether, and he has lost his position,. , and he's never been on the scenic railway, father. I'd like some tickets for him. He would like riding, I'm sure, because walking must be prettv lard. And what I want to know i's father'" 5'U 8'Ve him a jobl wilh'one "gVf 0 S0D? Aman tS't need less to chp The governess listened. She did not lo Americans. Barbarians they were, bu g trade. For a scenic railway Paul tat salary, wifh an extra month at C hnstmas, she would not be there. understand0 8VPrUeSS H-vasaweak,ing.U "'3 table atwif Tl . he "Shall the firm of , "S,;,M' bin, a job?" f L,"'l,y I' olTer as that." llures"osm., mirrv Sv.dc liallwav 1 ,,,u A..-rl....I: KS;;;, - 8 vital an effect on L l,l,V(1 SPlf "f the Crow,, , "' William otto of 1 von '0 1"ord"''d Late that evening, old problem having been solver! t11" inai.l and Bobby had a lonJ , ' sat in a low chair by th f ., k- h-in h-in The kitchen, and knilted j'" with a very large foot. Sl0ti "What I want to know k . Bobby, swinging his Ws ' '"S'"s-"What '"S'"s-"What are the terrorists Pepy dropped her kmtl, stared with open mouth 1 ; you of such things?" sh'o a ' t; . "We.,, terrorists prince's father, and" ct" Quite suddenly Pepy lea chair, and covered Bobbv her hand. "Hush!" m stared about her with frighten' Then, in a whisper: "They ' w here. No one knows whoh " : nor wdiere they meet. I fflr. .V' went on 'impressively, cros place one night late, after'!g J; the evening with a friend saw ':: of cats moving in the shadow, ' I"' of them stopped and looked at Pepy crossed herself. "Jt hJ like the Fraulein in there" 8fi' Bobby stared with interest th the doorway. The governess d7i " like a cat. "Maybe she's them," he reflected aloud. t; "Oh, for God's sake, hush'" Pepy, and fell to knitting rapidiIf could Bobby elicit anvthin. ;.' from her. But that uight. In his ,i he saw a crown prince, dressed"-velvet dressed"-velvet and ermine, being surro,,l! and attacked by an army 0f ca, went, shivering, to crawl ! mother's bed. CHAPTER X. The Committee of Ten On the evening of the annual df. mourning, the party returned from , ' fortress. The archduchess slept ft crown prince talked, mostly to fl wig, and even she said little. At--a time the silence affected the high spirits. He leaned back in chair on the deck of the launch af watched the flying landscape. ' ' It was almost dark when the lam arrived at the quay. The red carpi was still there, and another cron Had Prince Ferdinand William On been less taken up with finding one o( his kid gloves, which he had lost, would have noticed that there was s scuffle going on at the very edge o' the red carpet, and that the'beggari the morning was being led away, tween two policemen, while a "third, running up the river bank, ginger; deposited a small round object in tt water, and stood back. It was merei; one of the small incidents of a tw.i outing, and was never published'ii the papers. But Father Gregory, whose old eyes were far sighted, hsd seen it all. His hand the hand of tie church was on the shoulder of the crown prince as they landed. The boy looked around for the little girl of the bouquet. He took an Immense Im-mense interest in little girls, partlj because he seldom saw any. Bat ste was gone. When the motor which had taken them from the quay reached the psl-ace, psl-ace, Hedwig roused the archduchess, whose head had dropped forward on her chest. "Here we are, mother," she said. "Tou have had a nice sleep." But Annunciata muttered something about being glad the wretched day wis over, and every one save Prince Ferdinand Ferdi-nand William Otto seemed glad to get back.- The boy was depressed. Be felt, somehow, that they should hate enjoyed it, and that, having merely endured it, they had failed him again. The countess, having left her roiii mistress in the hands of her mail5, went to her own apartment. She was not surprised, on looking into her mirror, mir-ror, to find herself haggard and worn. It had been a terrible day. Only second had separated that gaping lens in her bag from the eyes of the officers about. Never, in an adventurous life had she felt so near to death. Even now its cold breath chilled her. However, that was over, well over. She had done well, too. A dozen pictures pic-tures of the fortress, of its guns, ' even its mine chart as It hung on wall, were in the bag. Its secrets, so securely held, were hers, and wonli be Karl's. It was a cunningly devised scheme. Two bags, exactly alike as to apfM'-auco, apfM'-auco, had been made. One, which shs carried daily, was what it nppcawl to be. The other contained a eaam 1'n.v but accurate, with a fine k When a knob of the fastening pressed, the watch slid aside and shutter snapped. The pietutvs vA' enlarged had proved themselves P" feet. I'leading fatigue, she dismissed ow maid and locked the doors. Then sm "Pened the sliding panel, ami unto1 -timed the safe. The roll of lil"1 ' her hand, ready' to be deposited un-lor un-lor the false bottom of her jewel ca Within the security of her room he countess felt at ease. She eJ ;a..g a little, a bit of a ballad from be nalive mountains. , Still singing, she carried the J'' case to her table, and sat down & fore it. Then she put a hand to 111 throat. The lock had been forced. |