lechmere bought a paper and read the paragraph for himself. it seemed strange that this thing should happen at a time when everybody was talking of asturia and its rulers. first there was the sensational interview in the mercury to set all tongues talking and then, almost before the public had grasped what had happened, the herald came out with a flat contradiction and a dignified statement to the effect that the mercury had been hoaxed by an impudent practical joker.

here was an excellent chance for the evening papers and they did their best to make a good thing of it. but the more things came to be investigated the firmer became the position of the herald. beyond all doubt the real king had been safe at merehaven house at the very time when his deputy was closeted with the editor of the mercury.

and now this had come on the top of it all. there was no reason to doubt that the veritable ruler of asturia had met with an accident, seeing that the herald had proclaimed the fact that he was already on his way to his kingdom. lechmere shook his head as he read.

"is this foul play or another link in the amazing chain?" jessie asked.

"i should say foul play," lechmere replied. "we have a most dangerous foe to contend with. and at any hazards the king must be kept from[272] reaching his capital just now. i should not wonder if the special train had been deliberately wrecked——"

"it makes one's heart bleed for the queen," jessie murmured. "if she comes successfully out of this."

"she won't," said lechmere curtly. "she is only asturian by marriage, and the people had never really cared for her, devoted as she is to their interests. they want to get rid of the king. if he abdicates, then russia comes in. if he were killed at this moment, russia would still come in. but given a few days longer and prince alix will be in asturia. this is the man the populace want. if they can once proclaim him, russia is checkmated. you see how things stand?"

"it would break the heart of the queen," jessie said.

"i think not. she would worry for a time, but her position is intolerable. the present king's life hangs on a thread, the next plunge into dissipation may kill him. and then asturia would know the queen no longer. she would marry maxgregor, who worships the ground she walks on, and for the first time in her life would taste real happiness. and now i shall leave you. it is necessary that i should see prince peretori at once."

and lechmere hastened away in pursuit of the prince. they missed one another by a few minutes but they met at length. needless to say, peretori had heard the news.

"you can see exactly what has happened," the latter said. "countess saens has gone off in a great hurry to see if she could prevent the king from reaching asturia. if he reaches his capital[273] what will happen will be this—he will be invited at once to attend a conference and place himself freely and unreservedly in the hands of his ministers. they will ask him to proclaim his abdication in favour of prince alix."

"i see," lechmere said thoughtfully. "that knocks russia out. but if the king does not get there at all?"

peretori chuckled as if something amused him.

"the king is going to get there," he said. "he will be rather damaged by his accident, but he will get there all the same. i'll see to that."

"if you have some scheme in your mind, i should like to know what it is," lechmere said.

"not at present, my dear fellow. i did a very foolish thing last night and i am anxious to try and wipe it out. i calculate that i can arrive on the scene of the accident by dark to-night, by using a despatch boat which lord merehaven has placed at my disposal. i am going alone and i am going to disguise myself. i may send you a telegram this evening, if i do, hold yourself in readiness to follow me. so far as my cousin and his consort are concerned, asturia is dead. but it is not going to fall into the lap of russia all the same."

nothing that lechmere could say served to break peretori's obstinate silence. he had a plan of his own and he was going to carry it out if necessary.

"go and see the queen," he urged, "go and see maxgregor. unless i am greatly mistaken in the character of the queen, she is pretty certain to follow erno. if she does she is equally certain to make a mess of it. she must not go, and maxgregor must prevent it. put maxgregor in a cab if it is possible to move him, and see that he keeps the queen here.[274] tell maxgregor that i am going to put the third scheme into operation."

"you have seen maxgregor to-day?" lechmere asked in some surprise.

"yes, i saw him early to-day and talked matters over. he abused me in the most shameful manner, but i had to put up with it. good bye."

peretori jumped into a passing hansom and was whirled away, leaving lechmere to his own thoughts. but peretori's advice was singularly sound from that usually feather-headed individual, and lechmere decided to go as far as maxgregor's at once. maxgregor was sitting up in bed impatiently fuming over an evening paper which lay propped up before him.

"this is a nice mess," he exclaimed. "of course that special train was wrecked deliberately. not that it very much matters, seeing that peretori—but perhaps you have not seen him? you have? good! did he send any kind of message to me?"

"yes," lechmere replied. "he said that he was going to put the third programme into execution."

maxgregor chuckled and his dark angry face relaxed. he managed to crawl out of bed, but he was still very weak and staggering. he dressed with lechmere's assistance.

"call a cab and take me as far as the queen's hotel," he said. "i must see her majesty alone. it is important that she keeps quiet at this junction. she must be persuaded to drive about and show herself just as if nothing had happened."

but there was nothing quiet about the queen as the two arrived at the hotel. she was pacing up and down the morning room, despite vera galloway's efforts to soothe her. the girl lay on a couch, for her ankle was still giving her a deal of pain.

[275]

"so you have managed to come to me, brave heart," the queen cried, as she held out both hands to maxgregor. "what should i do without your devoted courage? are you well enough to accompany me across the channel. i am going at once."

"you are going to do nothing of the kind, madame," maxgregor said sternly. "the thing is already in the most capable hands. may i beg a few words in private with you?"

the queen led the way into an inner room. vera turned eagerly to lechmere. her face was pale and her eyes were heavy with the tears that she was too proud to let fall.

"is there anything fresh to tell me?" she demanded eagerly. "i did not care to mention my private grief before the queen, who has been so good to me. but charles maxwell was in that train also. if there has been a bad accident, if it is to be called an accident——"

"it was no accident," lechmere said grimly. "the thing was done deliberately. and we dare not make too many enquiries because it may arouse suspicion. try and fix your mind on something else. it is just as imperative now as it was yesterday to regain possession of those papers you risked so much to get."

"if we could only find them," vera sighed. "if we only knew into whose hands they had fallen!"

"well, as a matter of fact we do know that," lechmere said coolly. "also we know exactly where they are. and i am going to try and obtain possession of them this very day. the mere fact of those papers coming back into our hands would go far to free maxwell from suspicion. you follow me?"

[276]

it was quite plain that vera followed. as much of recent events as he dared lechmere told her. he would be back in a little time, he said, but meanwhile he was going as far as the house of countess saens with the object of having another talk with annette.

lechmere's mind was perfectly well occupied as he walked along. he had nearly reached his destination when a cab pulled up before the residence of the countess of saens. a tall graceful figure carefully cloaked and veiled stepped out and darted for the house without paying the cabman. evidently the graceful figure had taken alarm at somebody in the road.

"by jove, it's me," lechmere muttered. "and that was the countess, for a million. now what brings her back in a break-neck hurry like this?"