gleikstein looked as utterly puzzled as his companion. they glanced at one another in a guilty kind of way. evidently the allusion to the hotel petersburg mentioned by lechmere conjured up some painful and none too creditable associations.
"there was only one other man present, and he has totally disappeared," said gleikstein. "now how did that man come to know all about it? one never seems quite to get away from the past."
somebody attracted gleikstein's attention, and mazaroff wandered off into the garden. he was uneasy and disturbed in his mind, and anxious over the failure of his plot. it seemed as if the whole affair was little better than an open secret. as an agent of russia, he was anxious to see the abdication of the throne by the king of asturia. asturia was a stumbling-block south in the path of russian progress. once the king had abdicated or been forced from his throne by a revolution, russia would certainly step in under the plea of the maintenance of peace in a notoriously turbulent region. they might concede to european opinion by placing a puppet on the throne, but henceforth asturia would be no better or worse than a russian province. if this was accomplished, then mazaroff netted a fortune. only to-day it had seemed in his grasp.
and with the swiftness of a lightning flash, everything had changed. the puppet had been torn[145] from mazaroff's hands; those compromising papers had vanished from countess saens's drawer. at the present moment lord merehaven was in a position to shrug his shoulders, and say that those suspicions must be verified before he was prepared to admit anything. it was a comedy on both sides, but it remained a comedy so long as those papers were not forthcoming.
mazaroff was brought back out of the grave of these gloomy reflections by a footman who tendered him a note. there was no answer, the servant said, he had merely had to deliver the letter to prince mazaroff. with a new interest in life, mazaroff recognized the countess saens's neat writing. he read the letter slowly and thoughtfully, then tearing it in small pieces he dropped the fragments into the heart of a laurel bush. a slow, cruel smile spread over his dark face.
"so that is the game," he muttered. "strange that i did not spot it before. still, the marvellous likeness would have deceived anybody. the maid was not far wrong after all. well, at any rate, i shall have some sport out of this. who knows what it may lead to?"
quite eagerly mazaroff dropped his cigarette and returned to the house. he walked from one room to the other as if looking for somebody. he was in search of miss galloway, he said. had anybody see her lately? he had an important message to deliver to her from countess saens. the cry was taken up—it became generally known that vera galloway was sought after.
one had seen her here and one had seen her there, but nobody knew anything definite. the more difficult the search became, the more prince mazaroff[146] appeared to be pleased. the quest came to the ears of dr. varney at length. he dropped the ever-pleasant conversation in which he was indulging with a famous lady novelist and became alert instantly.
"i fancy i can find her," he said. "who seeks her so closely at this time of night?"
"prince mazaroff," a girl laughed as she passed by. "is it a proposal, do you think, doctor? fancy being proposed to by a real prince!"
but varney was anxious behind his answering smile. his name had not been mentioned in the business at all. he was quite free to cross-examine mazaroff without the latter being in the least suspicious. and varney had a pretty shrewd idea that mazaroff regarded him as an elderly old fossil who had a child's mind outside the regions of science. he pottered up to the russian presently.
"what are you seeking?" he asked. "is there anything that i can do for you?"
"yes; i am looking for miss galloway," mazaroff said, with a gleam in his eye that told varney a great deal more than the speaker imagined. "i have an important message for her."
"well, tell me what it is and i will deliver it," varney said with a vacuous smile. "as the family physician there are no secrets from me. who seeks miss galloway?"
"tell her the countess saens," mazaroff said. "i fancy she will understand that. i have just had a letter——"
but varney had wandered off as if the conversation did not in the least interest him. as a matter of fact, he was both startled and uneasy. mazaroff had been too communicative in the hour of his[147] supposed triumph, and he had told varney everything. mazaroff had had a letter from the countess, and the countess had guessed, on finding her precious papers missing, exactly what had happened. on making inquiries, countess saens had discovered that there was a double of miss galloway somewhere, and she had asked mazaroff to make sure of the fact. and mazaroff was the very man who was wholly responsible for the appearance of jessie harcourt at merehaven house. but for his flagrant insult of the girl she would not have been here at all. there was danger in the air.
and the danger was not lessened by the fact that jessie had not returned. people presently would begin to think it strange that miss galloway was not to be found. and if those two came face to face—jessie and mazaroff—what an explosion there would be!
well, forewarned was forearmed, varney told himself as he walked back to the house. jessie would be back before long, and then the whole thing must come out. but jessie had done good work, not only on behalf of her new friend vera galloway, but also on behalf of england and the peace of europe. this pretty, resolute, sharp girl had suddenly become an important piece in the great game of diplomatic chess. if necessary, merehaven must be told everything. he must be shown the absolute importance of checking mazaroff and rendering his last stroke utterly futile. when merehaven came to know what had happened, he would be compelled to stand by the side of jessie harcourt. it would have to be a strong game of bluff, varney decided. merehaven would be properly indignant when the confession came; he would refuse to believe that his niece could[148] be party to anything of the kind. jessie could come into the room if mazaroff decided to make an exposure, and sit with becoming dignity. she would decline to listen to the russian's preposterous suggestion, and with all the dignity at his command merehaven would back the girl up. varney began to chuckle to himself as he thought of mazaroff's discomfiture.
but whilst mazaroff was hunting round for the double of miss galloway, never dreaming that she also had left the house, merehaven must be warned. it was a difficult matter to detach the old diplomat from the circle surrounding him, but varney succeeded at length.
"now what is the matter?" merehaven said tartly. "another surprise? really, i seem to be living in an atmosphere of them to-night, and i am getting too old for these shocks. what is the matter?"
"a great deal, or i would not bother you in this way?" varney said. "make an excuse to get away for a few minutes and go to your study. it is absolutely imperative that i should have a word or two with you before you speak to mazaroff again."
merehaven complied with a sigh for his lost social evening. he went off in the direction of his study, but varney did not follow him direct. on the contrary, he lounged into the garden intending to enter the study by the window, which he knew to be open. by the time he reached the garden he had a full view of merehaven bending over his writing table as if dispatching a note. at the same instant a figure rose from behind a group of rose trees and confronted varney. as her black wrap fell away he had no difficulty in recognizing the features of jessie harcourt.
"i am back again, you see," she said breathlessly. "it is such wonderful good fortune to meet you here so soon, and where we can speak at once. dr. varney, have i missed anything? is there anything that you have to tell me? have i been missed? nothing has happened since i left?"
"not till the last moment," varney said. "my dear child, positively i can't stay a moment to tell you. it is imperative that i should have a few words with lord merehaven at once, before prince mazaroff can get to him. stay here under the shadow of the house; keep your wrap over your head. nobody is likely to come out again to-night. and please to listen to everything that is going to be said, because the conversation will give you the clue that i cannot stay to afford you now. ah!"
varney darted forward until he reached the window of the library, and then he stumbled into the room as if he had found his way there quite by accident. at the same moment mazaroff entered from the hall. his face was pale, his eyes glittered with something of sneering triumph. he advanced to the writing table and laid a hand on lord merehaven's shoulders.
"may i ask your lordship's attention for a moment?" he said. "i have something important and, i am afraid, very painful to say to you."
jessie strained her ears to listen.
