Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt.
Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed3 that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock.
Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway4 did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented5 themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest.
To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine6 standing7 in the alley8 where its chauffeur9 had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall.
Maenck clambered to the hood10 of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open—it led into the east transept.
Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room—evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued11 conversation beyond.
Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant12 Butzow. The bishop13 and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man he sought.
Maenck drew his revolver. He broke the barrel, and saw that there was a good cartridge14 in each chamber15 of the cylinder16. He closed it quietly. Then he threw open the door, stepped into the room, took deliberate aim, and fired.
The old man with the ax moved cautiously along the corridor upon the second floor of the Castle of Blentz until he came to a certain door. Gently he turned the knob and pushed the door inward. Holding the ax behind his back, he entered. In his pocket was a great roll of money, and there was to be an equal amount waiting him at Lustadt when his mission had been fulfilled.
Once within the room, he looked quickly about him. Upon a great bed lay the figure of a man asleep. His face was turned toward the opposite wall away from the side of the bed nearer the menacing figure of the old servant. On tiptoe the man with the ax approached. The neck of his victim lay uncovered before him. He swung the ax behind him. A single blow, as mighty17 as his ancient muscles could deliver, would suffice.
Barney Custer opened his eyes. Directly opposite him upon the wall was a dark-toned photogravure of a hunting scene. It tilted18 slightly forward upon its wire support. As Barney's eyes opened it chanced that they were directed straight upon the shiny glass of the picture. The light from the window struck the glass in such a way as to transform it into a mirror. The American's eyes were glued with horror upon the reflection that he saw there—an old man swinging a huge ax down upon his head.
It is an open question as to which of the two was the most surprised at the cat-like swiftness of the movement that carried Barney Custer out of that bed and landed him in temporary safety upon the opposite side.
With a snarl19 the old man ran around the foot of the bed to corner his prey20 between the bed and the wall. He was swinging the ax as though to hurl21 it. So close was he that Barney guessed it would be difficult for him to miss his mark. The least he could expect would be a frightful22 wound. To have attempted to escape would have necessitated23 turning his back to his adversary24, inviting25 instant death. To grapple with a man thus armed appeared an equally hopeless alternative.
Shoulder-high beside him hung the photogravure that had already saved his life once. Why not again? He snatched it from its hangings, lifted it above his head in both hands, and hurled26 it at the head of the old man. The glass shattered full upon the ancient's crown, the man's head went through the picture, and the frame settled over his shoulders. At the same instant Barney Custer leaped across the bed, seized a light chair, and turned to face his foe27 upon more even terms.
The old man did not pause to remove the frame from about his neck. Blood trickled28 down his forehead and cheeks from deep gashes29 that the broken glass had made. Now he was in a berserker rage.
As he charged again he uttered a peculiar30 whistling noise from between his set teeth. To the American it sounded like the hissing31 of a snake, and as he would have met a snake he met the venomous attack of the old man.
When the short battle was over the Blentz servitor lay unconscious upon the floor, while above him leaned the American, uninjured, ripping long strips from a sheet torn from the bed, twisting them into rope-like strands32 and, with them, binding33 the wrists and ankles of his defeated foe. Finally he stuffed a gag between the toothless gums.
Running to the wardrobe, he discovered that the king's uniform was gone. That, with the witness of the empty bed, told him the whole story. The American smiled. "More nerve than I gave him credit for," he mused34, as he walked back to his bed and reached under the pillow for the two papers he had forced the king to sign. They, too, were gone. Slowly Barney Custer realized his plight35, as there filtered through his mind a suggestion of the possibilities of the trick that had been played upon him.
Why should Leopold wish these papers? Of course, he might merely have taken them that he might destroy them; but something told Barney Custer that such was not the case. And something, too, told him whither the king had ridden and what he would do there when he arrived.
He ran back to the wardrobe. In it hung the peasant attire36 that he had stolen from the line of the careless house frau, and later wished upon his majesty37 the king. Barney grinned as he recalled the royal disgust with which Leopold had fingered the soiled garments. He scarce blamed him. Looking further toward the back of the wardrobe, the American discovered other clothing.
He dragged it all out upon the floor. There was an old shooting jacket, several pairs of trousers and breeches, and a hunting coat. In a drawer at the bottom of the wardrobe he found many old shoes, puttees, and boots.
From this miscellany he selected riding breeches, a pair of boots, and the red hunting coat as the only articles that fitted his rather large frame. Hastily he dressed, and, taking the ax the old man had brought to the room as the only weapon available, he walked boldly into the corridor, down the spiral stairway and into the guardroom.
Barney Custer was prepared to fight. He was desperate. He could have slunk from the Castle of Blentz as he had entered it—through the secret passageway to the ravine; but to attempt to reach Lustadt on foot was not at all compatible with the urgent haste that he felt necessary. He must have a horse, and a horse he would have if he had to fight his way through a Blentz army.
But there were no armed retainers left at Blentz. The guardroom was vacant; but there were arms there and ammunition38. Barney commandeered a sword and a revolver, then he walked into the courtyard and crossed to the stables. The way took him by the garden. In it he saw a coffin-like box resting upon planks39 above a grave-like excavation40. Barney investigated. The box was empty. Once again he grinned. "It is not always wise," he mused, "to count your corpses41 before they're dead. What a lot of work the old man might have spared himself if he'd only caught his cadaver42 first—or at least tried to."
Passing on by his own grave, he came to the stables. A groom43 was currying44 a strong, clean-limbed hunter haltered in the doorway. The man looked up as Barney approached him. A puzzled expression entered the fellow's eyes. He was a young man—a stupid-looking lout45. It was evident that he half recognized the face of the newcomer as one he had seen before. Barney nodded to him.
"Never mind finishing," he said. "I am in a hurry. You may saddle him at once." The voice was authoritative—it brooked46 no demur47. The groom touched his forehead, dropped the currycomb and brush, and turned back into the stable to fetch saddle and bridle48.
Five minutes later Barney was riding toward the gate. The portcullis was raised—the drawbridge spanned the moat—no guard was there to bar his way. The sunlight flooded the green valley, stretching lazily below him in the soft warmth of a mellow49 autumn morning. Behind him he had left the brooding shadows of the grim old fortress—the cold, cruel, depressing stronghold of intrigue50, treason, and sudden death.
He threw back his shoulders and filled his lungs with the sweet, pure air of freedom. He was a new man. The wound in his breast was forgotten. Lightly he touched his spurs to the hunter's sides. Tossing his head and curveting, the animal broke into a long, easy trot51. Where the road dipped into the ravine and down through the village to the valley the rider drew his restless mount into a walk; but, once in the valley, he let him out. Barney took the short road to Lustadt. It would cut ten miles off the distance that the main wagonroad covered, and it was a good road for a horseman. It should bring him to Lustadt by one o'clock or a little after. The road wound through the hills to the east of the main highway, and was scarcely more than a trail where it crossed the Ru River upon a narrow bridge that spanned the deep mountain gorge52 that walls the Ru for ten miles through the hills.
When Barney reached the river his hopes sank. The bridge was gone—dynamited by the Austrians in their retreat. The nearest bridge was at the crossing of the main highway over ten miles to the southwest. There, too, the river might be forded even if the Austrians had destroyed that bridge also; but here or elsewhere in the hills there could be no fording—the banks of the Ru were perpendicular53 cliffs.
The misfortune would add nearly twenty miles to his journey—he could not now hope to reach Lustadt before late in the afternoon. Turning his horse back along the trail he had come, he retraced54 his way until he reached a narrow bridle path that led toward the southwest. The trail was rough and indistinct, yet he pushed forward, even more rapidly than safety might have suggested. The noble beast beneath him was all loyalty55 and ambition.
"Take it easy, old boy," whispered Barney into the slim, pointed56 ears that moved ceaselessly backward and forward, "you'll get your chance when we strike the highway, never fear."
And he did.
So unexpected had been Maenck's entrance into the room in the east transept, so sudden his attack, that it was all over before a hand could be raised to stay him. At the report of his revolver the king sank to the floor. At almost the same instant Lieutenant Butzow whipped a revolver from beneath his tunic57 and fired at the assassin. Maenck staggered forward and stumbled across the body of the king. Butzow was upon him instantly, wresting58 the revolver from his fingers. Prince Ludwig ran to the king's side and, kneeling there, raised Leopold's head in his arms. The bishop and the doctor bent59 over the limp form. The Princess Emma stood a little apart. She had leaped from the couch where she had been lying. Her eyes were wide in horror. Her palms pressed to her cheeks.
It was upon this scene that a hatless, dust-covered man in a red hunting coat burst through the door that had admitted Maenck. The man had seen and recognized the conspirator60 as he climbed to the top of the limousine and dropped within the cathedral grounds, and he had followed close upon his heels.
No one seemed to note his entrance. All ears were turned toward the doctor, who was speaking.
"The king is dead," he said.
"You fools," he cried. "That man was not the king. I saw him steal the king's clothes at Blentz and I followed him here. He is the American—the impostor." Then his eyes, circling the faces about him to note the results of his announcements, fell upon the face of the man in the red hunting coat. Amazement62 and wonder were in his face. Slowly he raised his finger and pointed.
"There is the king," he said.
Every eye turned in the direction he indicated. Exclamations63 of surprise and incredulity burst from every lip. The old chancellor64 looked from the man in the red hunting coat to the still form of the man upon the floor in the blood-spattered marriage garments of a king of Lutha. He let the king's head gently down upon the carpet, and then he rose to his feet and faced the man in the red hunting coat.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
Before Barney could speak Lieutenant Butzow spoke.
"He is the king, your highness," he said. "I rode with him to Blentz to free Mr. Custer. Both were wounded in the courtyard in the fight that took place there. I helped to dress their wounds. The king was wounded in the breast—Mr. Custer in the left leg."
Prince von der Tann looked puzzled. Again he turned his eyes questioningly toward the newcomer.
"Is this the truth?" he asked.
Barney looked toward the Princess Emma. In her eyes he could read the relief that the sight of him alive had brought her. Since she had recognized the king she had believed that Barney was dead. The temptation was great—he dreaded65 losing her, and he feared he would lose her when her father learned the truth of the deception66 that had been practiced upon him. He might lose even more—men had lost their heads for tampering67 with the affairs of kings.
"Well?" persisted the chancellor.
"Lieutenant Butzow is partially68 correct—he honestly believes that he is entirely69 so," replied the American. "He did ride with me from Lustadt to Blentz to save the man who lies dead here at your feet. The lieutenant thought that he was riding with his king, just as your highness thought that he was riding with his king during the battle of Lustadt. You were both wrong—you were riding with Mr. Bernard Custer, of Beatrice. I am he. I have no apologies to make. What I did I would do again. I did it for Lutha and for the woman I love. She knows and the king knew that I intended restoring his identity to him with no one the wiser for the interchange that had taken place. The king upset my plans by stealing back his identity while I slept, with the result that you see before you upon the floor. He has died as he had lived—futilely70."
As he spoke the Princess Emma had crossed the room toward him. Now she stood at his side, her hand in his. Tense silence reigned71 in the apartment. The old chancellor stood with bowed head, buried in thought. All eyes were upon him except those of the doctor, who had turned his attention from the dead king to the wounded assassin. Butzow stood looking at Barney Custer in open relief and admiration72. He had been trying to vindicate73 his friend in his own mind ever since he had discovered, as he believed, that Barney had tricked Leopold after the latter had saved his life at Blentz and ridden to Lustadt in the king's guise74. Now that he knew the whole truth he realized how stupid he had been not to guess that the man who had led the victorious75 Luthanian army before Lustadt could not have been the cowardly Leopold.
Presently the chancellor broke the silence.
"You say that Leopold of Lutha lived futilely. You are right; but when you say that he has died futilely, you are, I believe, wrong. Living, he gave us a poor weakling. Dying, he leaves the throne to a brave man, in whose veins76 flows the blood of the Rubinroths, hereditary77 rulers of Lutha.
"You are the only rightful successor to the throne of Lutha," he argued, "other than Peter of Blentz. Your mother's marriage to a foreigner did not bar the succession of her offspring. Aside from the fact that Peter of Blentz is out of the question, is the more important fact that your line is closer to the throne than his. He knew it, and this knowledge was the real basis of his hatred78 of you."
As the old chancellor ceased speaking he drew his sword and raised it on high above his head.
"The king is dead," he said. "Long live the king!"
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1
proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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circumspection
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| n.细心，慎重 | |
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wed
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| v.娶，嫁，与…结婚 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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limousine
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| n.豪华轿车 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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chauffeur
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| n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车 | |
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hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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11
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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12
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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cartridge
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| n.弹壳，弹药筒；(装磁带等的)盒子 | |
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15
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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cylinder
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| n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸 | |
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17
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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snarl
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| v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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necessitated
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| 使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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29
gashes
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| n.深长的切口（或伤口）( gash的名词复数 )v.划伤，割破( gash的第三人称单数 ) | |
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30
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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32
strands
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| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
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binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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excavation
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| n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地 | |
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corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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cadaver
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| n.尸体 | |
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groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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44
currying
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| 加脂操作 | |
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lout
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| n.粗鄙的人；举止粗鲁的人 | |
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46
brooked
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| 容忍，忍受（brook的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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demur
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| v．表示异议，反对 | |
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48
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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49
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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50
intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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51
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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52
gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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53
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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54
retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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55
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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56
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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57
tunic
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| n.束腰外衣 | |
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58
wresting
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| 动词wrest的现在进行式 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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conspirator
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| n.阴谋者，谋叛者 | |
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61
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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62
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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63
exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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64
chancellor
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| n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长 | |
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65
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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66
deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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67
tampering
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| v.窜改( tamper的现在分词 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄 | |
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68
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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69
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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70
futilely
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| futile（无用的）的变形； 干 | |
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71
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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72
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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73
vindicate
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| v.为…辩护或辩解，辩明；证明…正确 | |
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74
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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75
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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76
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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77
hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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78
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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