puzzled, vaguely alarmed, and nervous as she was, jessie had been still more deeply thrilled could she have seen into the room from whence the signal came. she had escorted the queen of asturia there, and subsequently the man known as general maxgregor, but why they came and why that secret meeting jessie did not know.
in some vague way jessie connected the mystery with the hapless creature whom she knew now to be the king of asturia. nor was she far wrong. in the dressing-room beyond the larger room where that strange interview was to take place, the hapless man lay on a bed. he might have been dead, so silent was he and so still his breathing. he lay there in his evening dress, but there was nothing about him to speak of his exalted rank. he wore no collar or star or any decoration; he might have been no more than a drunken waiter tossed contemptuously out of the way to lie in a sodden sleep till the effects of his potations passed.
the sleeper was small of size and mean of face, the weak lips hidden with a ragged red moustache; a thin crop of the same flame-coloured hair was on his head. in fine contrast stood the queen of asturia, regally beautiful, perfectly dressed and flashing with diamonds. there was every inch of a queen. but her face was bitter and hard, her dark eyes flashed.
"and to think that i am passing my life in peril, ruining my health and shattering my nerves for a creature like that!" she whispered vehemently. "a cowardly, dishonest, drunken hog—a man who is prepared to sacrifice his crown for money to spend on wine and cards. nay, the crown may be sold by this time for all i know."
the figure on the bed stirred just a little. with a look of intense loathing the queen bent down and laid her head on the sleeper's breast. it seemed to her that the heart was not moving.
"he must not die," she said passionately. "he must not die—yet. and yet, god help me, i should be the happier for his release. the weary struggle would be over, and i could sleep without the fear of his being murdered before my eyes. oh, why does not paul come!"
the words came as if in protest against the speaker's helplessness. almost immediately there came a gentle tap at the door, and general maxgregor entered. a low, fierce cry of delight came from the queen; she held out a pair of hands that trembled to the newcomer. there was a flush on her beautiful face now, a look of pleasure in the splendid eyes. she was more like a girl welcoming her lover than a queen awaiting the arrival of a servant.
"i began to be afraid, paul," she said. "you are so very late, that i——"
paul maxgregor held the trembling hands in a strong grasp. there was something in his glance that caused the queen to lower her eyes and her face to flush hotly. it was not the first time that a soldier has aspired to share a throne. there was more than one tradition in the berserker scotch family to bear out the truth of it. the maxgregors[45] of glen had helped to make european history before now, and paul maxgregor was not the softest of his race.
generally he passed for an asturian, for he spoke the language perfectly, having been in the service of that turbulent state for the last twenty odd years. there was always fighting in the balkans, and the pay had attracted paul maxgregor in his earliest days. but though his loyalty had never been called in question, he was still a briton to the backbone.
"i could not come before, margaret," he said. "there were other matters. but why did you bring him here? surely lord merehaven does not know that our beloved ruler——"
"he doesn't, paul. but i had to be here and play my part. and there came news that the king was in some gambling house with a troupe of that archfiend's spies. the police helped me, and i dragged him out and i brought him here by way of the garden. vera galloway did the rest. i dared not leave that man behind me, i dared not trust a single servant i possess. so i smuggled the king here and i sent for you. he is very near to death to-night."
"let him die!" paul maxgregor cried. "let the carrion perish! then you can seat yourself on the throne of asturia, and i will see that you don't want for a following."
the queen looked up with a mournful smile on her face. there was one friend here whom she could trust, and she knew it well. her hands were still held by those of maxgregor.
"you are too impetuous, paul," she said softly. "i know that you are devoted to me, that yo—you love me——"
"i love you with my whole heart and soul, sweetheart," maxgregor whispered. "i have loved you since the day you came down from your father's castle in the hills to wed the drunken rascal who lies there heedless of his peril. the maxgregors have ever been rash where their affections were concerned. and even before you became erno's bride, i warned you what to expect. i would have taken you off then and there and married you, even though i had lost my career and all europe would have talked of the scandal. but your mind was fixed upon saving asturia from russia, and you refused. not because you did not love me——"
the queen smiled faintly. this handsome, impetuous, headstrong soldier spoke no more than the truth. and she was only a friendless, desperate woman after all.
"i must go on, paul," she said. "my duty lies plainly before me. suppose erno ... dies? he may die to-night. and if he does, what will happen? as sure as you and i stand at this moment here, russia will produce some document purporting to be signed by the king. the forgery will be a clever one, but it will be a forgery all the same. it will be proved that erno has sold his country, the money will be traced to him, and russia will take possession of those southern passes. this information comes from a sure hand. and if russia can make out a case like this, europe will not interfere. spies everywhere will make out that i had a hand in the business, and all my work will be in vain. think of it, paul—put your own feelings aside for a moment. erno must not die."
maxgregor paced up and down the room with long, impatient strides. the pleading voice of the queen[47] had touched him. when he spoke again his tone was calmer.
"you are right," he said. "your sense of duty and honour make me ashamed. mind you, were the king to die i should be glad. i would take you out of the turmoil of all this, and you would be happy for the first time in your life. we are wasting valuable time. see here."
as maxgregor spoke he took a white package from his pocket and tore off the paper. two small bottles were disclosed. the general drew the cork from one of them.
"i got this from dr. salerno—i could not find dr. varney," he explained—"and is for our distinguished drunkard—he takes one. the other is to be administered drop by drop every ten minutes. salerno told me that the next orgie like this was pretty sure to be fatal. he said he had made the remedy strong."
the smaller bottle was opened, and maxgregor proceeded to raise the head of the sleeping figure. he tilted up the phial and poured the contents down the sleeper's throat. he coughed and gurgled, but he managed to swallow it down. then there was a faint pulsation of the rigid limbs, the white, mean face took on a tinge as if the blood were flowing again. presently a pair of bloodshot eyes were opened and looked dully round the room. the king sat up and shuddered.
"what have you given me?" he asked fretfully. "my mouth is on fire. fetch me champagne, brandy, anything that tastes of drink. what are you staring at, fool? don't you see him over there? he's got a knife in his hand—he's all dressed in red. he's after me!"
with a yell the unhappy man sprang from the bed and flew to the window. the spring blind shot up and the casement was forced back before maxgregor could interfere. another moment and the madman would have been smashed on the flagstones below. with something that sounded like an oath maxgregor dashed forward only just in time. his strong hands reached the drink-soddened maniac back, the casement was shut down, but in the heat and excitement of the moment the blind remained up, so that it was just possible from the terrace at the end of the garden to see into the room.
but this maxgregor had not time to notice. he had the ruler of asturia back on the bed now, weak and helpless and almost collapsed after his outburst of violence. the delusion of the red figure with the knife had passed for a moment, and the king's eyes were closed. yet his heart was beating now, and he bore something like the semblance of a man.
"and to think that on a wretch like that the fate of a kingdom hangs," maxgregor said sadly. "you can leave him to me, margaret, for the time being. your absence will be noticed by mazaroff and the rest. give the signal.... why doesn't that girl come?"
but the signal was repeated twice with no sign of the sham miss galloway.
