The Princess Passes Volume 56 by Alice Muriel Williamson, Charles Norris Williamson (great book club books .txt) 📕

Good Pack-Mule. Somehow One Thinks Of Switzerland And Mules Together,

Just As One Does Of Bacon And Eggs, Or Nuts And Raisins, And Yet, I

Can't Recall Ever Having Come Across Any Mules In Lucerne, Can You,

Monty?"

"No," I Admitted, "But There Were Probably So Many That One Didn't

Notice Them--Like Flies, You Know."

"Of Course, The Air Of Switzerland Is Dark With Mules And Donkeys,"

Said Molly, Who Always Seemed Quick To Resent Any Obstacles Thrown

Between Me And My Mule. "One Sees Them In Picture Books. All That

Lord Lane Will Have To Say Is, 'Let There Be Mules,' And There Will Be

Mules--Strings Of Them. He Will Only Have To Pick And Choose. The

Thing Will Be To Get A Good One, And A Nice, Handsome, Troubadour-Sort

Of Man Who Can Cook, And Jodel, And Sew, And Put Up Tents, And Keep

Off Murderers In Mountain Passes At Night. It May Take A Day Or Two To

Find Exactly What Is Wanted."

"The Best Person In Switzerland To Give Monty All The Information He

Needs," Said Jack, Evidently Not Wholly Convinced, "Is Herr Widmer,

Who Has An Hotel High Above Lucerne, On The Sonnenberg. He Has Another

In Mentone, And I've Heard Him Tell How He Has Often Come Up From The

Riviera To Switzerland On Horseback. He Would Be Able To Advise Monty

Exactly How To Go."

"Let's Stop At His Place On The Sonnenberg, Then," Said Molly, Who

Never Took More Than Sixty Seconds To Make The Most Momentous

Decisions, Less Important Ones Getting Themselves Arranged While

Slow-Minded English People Drew Breath.

Certainly, As We Drove Through The Streets Of Lucerne, We Saw Neither

Mules Nor Donkeys, But Molly Accounted For This By Saying That No

Doubt They Were All At Dinner. In Any Case, With The Blue Lake

A-Glitter With Silver Sequins Dropped From The Gowns Of Those

Sparkling White Ladies, The Mountains; The Shops Gay And Bright In The

Sunshine, On One Side The Way, Shadows Lying Cool And Soft Under The

Long Line Of Green Trees On The Other, Who Could Take Thought Of

Absent Mules? Let Them Dine Or Die; It Mattered Not. Lucerne Was

Beautiful, The Day Divine.

When We Were Lunching On The Balcony Of The Winstons' Private

Sitting-Room At The Sonnenberg, With Mountains Billowing Round And

Below Us, I Saw That There Was Something On Molly's Mind For She Was

_Distraite_. Suddenly She Said, "Before You Talk To Herr Widmer About

Your Mule, Don't You Think That You Had Better Decide Absolutely Upon

Your Route?"

"But, Darling," Objected Jack, "That Is Largely What He Wants Advice

About."

"He Can't Do Better Than Take Mine, Then," Said Molly. "Lord Lane,

_Promise_ Me You'll Take Mine And _No_ One's Else."

"Of Course I'll Promise," I Answered Recklessly, For Her Eyes Were

Irresistible, And Any Man Would Have Been Enraptured That So Exquisite

A Creature Should Interest Herself In His Fate. "It Doesn't Much

Matter To Me Where I Go, So Long As I Can Moon About In The Mountains,

And Eventually, Before I'm Old And Grey, Bring Up On The Riviera."

"Well, Then," Said Molly, "Since You Are So Accommodating, I Not Only

Advise But _Order_ You To Go Over The Great St. Bernard Pass, Down To

Aosta."

"Might A Humble Mortal Ask, 'Why Aosta?'" I Ventured.

"Because It's Beautiful, And Beneficent, And A Great Many Other Things

Which Begin With B."

"You've Never Seen It, Though," Said Jack.

"But I've Always Wanted To See It, And As You And I Have Another

Programme To Carry Out At Present, It Would Be Nice If Lord Lane Would

Go, And Tell Us All About It. He's Promised Me To Keep A Sort Of

Diary, For Our Benefit Later."

"I Saw The Duchess Of Aosta Married At Kingston-On-Thames," I

Reflected Aloud. "She Was A Very Pretty Girl. What Am I To Do After

I've Made My Pilgrimage To Her Country--About Which, By The Way, I

Know Practically Nothing Except That There's A Poster In Railway

Stations Which Represents It As Having Bright Pink Mountains And A

Purply-Yellow Sky?"

"Oh, After Aosta, I've No Instructions," Replied Molly, As If She

Washed Her Hands Of Me And Of My Affairs. "For The Rest, Let Fate

Decide." As She Spoke, She Looked Mystic, Sibylline, And I Could

Almost Fancy That Before Her Dreamy Eyes Arose A Vision Of My Future

As If Floating In A Magic Crystal. For An Instant I Was Inclined To

Beg That She Would Prophesy, But The Mood Passed. All That I Asked Or

Expected To Get From The Future Was A Mule, A Man, Some Mountains, And

Forgetfulness.

It Was Decided, Then, That The Only Questions To Be Put To Herr Widmer

Should Concern The Mule. I Had A Vague Dream Of Presently Standing On

The Balcony, While Various Muleteers And Their Well-Groomed Animals

Passed In Review Under My Eyes, But The Landlord's First Words Struck

At My Hopes And Left Them Maimed.

"There Are No Mules To Be Had In Lucerne," He Said.

"In The Country Near By, Then?"

"Nor In The Country Near By. The Nearest Place Where You Could Get One

Would Be In The Valais--Best At Brig."

"But I Don't Want To Go To Brig," I Said Forlornly. "If I Went To

Brig, That Would Mean That I Should Have To Do A Lot Of Walking

Afterwards, To Reach The Parts I Wish To Reach, Through The Hot Rhone

Valley, Where I Should Be Eaten Up By Gnats And Other Disagreeable

Wild Beasts. I Know The Rhone Valley Between Brig And Martigny

Already, By Railway Travelling, And That Is More Than Enough."

"The Rhone Valley Is A Misunderstood Valley. Even Between Martigny

And Brig, It Is Far More Beautiful Than Anyone Who Has Seen It Only

From The Railway Can Possibly Judge," Pleaded Herr Widmer. "It Well

Repays A Riding Or Walking Tour."

But My Soul Girded Against The Rhone Valley, And I Would Not Be Driven

Into It By Persuasion. "I'd Rather Put Up With A Donkey To Carry My

Luggage," Said I, With Visions Of Discarding Half My Instantaneous

Breakfasts, "Than Begin My Walk In The Rhone Valley. Surely, Lucerne

Can Be Counted On To Yield Me Up At Least A Donkey?"

"You Must Go Into Italy To Find An _Âne_," Replied The Landlord,

Inexorable As Destiny.

I Suddenly Understood How A Woman Feels When She Stamps Her Foot And

Bursts Into Tears. (There Are Advantages In Being A Woman.) To Be

Thwarted For The Sake Of A Mere, Wretched Animal, Which I Had Always

Looked Upon With Indifference As The Least Of Beasts! It Was Too Much.

My Features Hardened. Inwardly, I Swore A Great Oath That, If I Went

To The World's End To Obtain It, I Would Have A Pack-Mule, Or, If

Worse Came To Worst, A Pack-Donkey.

At This Bitter Moment I Chanced To Meet Molly's Eyes And Read In Them

A Sympathy Well-Nigh Extravagant. But I Knew Why It Had Been Called

Out. If There Is One Thing Which Causes Unbearable Anguish To A True

American Girl It Is To Find Herself Wanting Something "Right Away"

Which She Cannot Have. But Luckily For Her Country's Peace, Her

Lovers' Happiness, This Occurs Seldom.

"What Is The Nearest Place In Italy Where Lord Lane Could Get A

Donkey?" She Asked.

"It Is Possible That He Might Be Able To Buy Or Hire One At Airolo,"

Said Our Landlord. "At One Time They Had Them There, For The Railway

Works, And Mules Also. But Now I Do Not----"

"We Can Go There And See," Said Molly.

"Airolo's On The Other Side Of The St. Gothard, And Automobiles Aren't

Allowed On The Swiss Passes," Remarked Jack.

This, To Me, Sounded Final, So Far As Airolo Was Concerned, But Not So

With The Honourable Mrs. Winston!

"What Do They Do To You If You _Do_ Go?" She Asked, Turning Slightly

Pale.

"They Fined An American Gentleman Who Crossed The Simplon In His

Automobile Last Year, Five Thousand Francs," Answered Herr Widmer.

"Oh!" Said She. "So An American Did Go Over One Of The Passes? Well,

Thank You _So_ Much; We Must Decide What To Do, And Talk It Over With

You Again Later. Meanwhile, We're Very Happy, For It's Lovely Here."

Hardly Had The Door Of The Sitting-Room Closed On Our Host, When

Molly, With The Air Of Having A Gun-Powder Plot To Unfold, Beckoned Us

Both To Come Near. "I'll Tell You What We'll Do," Said She, In A

Half-Whisper, When Surrounded By Her Body-Guard Of Two. "First, We'll

Ask _Everybody_ In Lucerne Whether There Are Any Mules Or Donkeys On

The Spot, Just In Case Herr Widmer Might Be Mistaken; If There Aren't

Any, Let's Go Over The St. Gothard _In The Middle Of The Night_."

"Good Heavens, What A Desperate Character I've Married!" Exclaimed

Jack.

"Not At All. Don't You See, At Night There Would Be Nobody On Their

Silly Old Pass That They Make Such A Fuss About. Even In Daylight

Diligences Don't Go Over The St. Gothard In Our Times, And At Night

There'd Be _Nothing_, So We Couldn't Expose Man Or Beast To Danger.

We'd Rush The _Douanes_, Or Whatever They Call Them On Passes, And If

We _Were_ Caught, What Are Five Thousand Francs?"

"I Wouldn't Dream Of Letting You Do Such A Thing For Me," I Broke In

Hurriedly. "If Airolo Or The Neighbourhood Turns Out To Be The Happy

Hunting Ground Of The Sedate Mule Or Pensive _Âne_, I Will Simply Take

Train----"

"You Will Take The Train, If You Take It, Over Jack's And My