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

"_Voilà_, Monsieur!" Exclaimed Joseph, His Deep Eyes Brightening At

Something To Be Seen Over My Shoulder.

I Turned, And There Was Meek, Grey Souris Leading The Way For

Innocentina And Fanny, Who Were Trailing Slowly Towards Us Down The

Street.

I Was Delighted To See Them. Not Until Now Had I Realised How

Beautiful Was Innocentina, How Engaging The Two Little Plush-Coated

Donkeys. I Loved All Three.

"_Eh Bien_, Innocentina!" I Gaily Cried. "How Are You? How Is Your

Young Monsieur?"

"He Was Well When I Saw Him Last," Returned Innocentina. "He Must Be

Very Far Away By This Time."

"Very Far Away?" I Echoed Her Words Blankly. "Yes, Monsieur. Here Is

A Letter, Which He Told Me To Deliver To You Without Fail. I Was Not

To Leave Chambéry Until I Had Put It Into Your Hand, Myself. I Was On

My Way To Your Hotel, To See If You Had Arrived. Now That I Have Seen

You"--Here A Starry Flash At Joseph--"I Can Begin My Journey."

"Where, If I May Ask?"

"Towards My Home. Monsieur Had Better Read His Letter."

[Illustration: "Voilà, Monsieur!"]

I Had Taken The Sealed Envelope Mechanically, Without Looking At It.

Now I Fixed My Eyes Upon The Address, Which Was Written In A Firm,

Original, And Interesting Hand, That Impressed Me As Familiar, Though

I Could Not Think Where I Had Seen It. Certainly, So Far As I Could

Remember, In All My Journeyings With Him I Had Never Happened To See

The Boy's Handwriting. Yet Innocentina Said This Letter Was From Him.

Suddenly It Occurred To Me That I Could Do Something More Enlightening

Than Stare At The Envelope: I Could Open It. I Did So, Breaking A Seal

With The Same Monogram I Had Noticed On The Gold Fittings In The

Celebrated Bag. Apparently The Entwined Letters Were M.R.L.

"Forgive Me, Dear Man," Were The First Words I Read, And They Rang

Like A Knell In My Heart. Without Going Further I Knew What Was

Coming. I Was To Hear That I Had Lost The Boy.

"Dear Man, The Prince Vanishes, Not Because He Wishes It, But Because

He Must. He Can't Explain. But, Though You May Not Understand Now,

Believe This. He Has Been Happier In These Wanderings, Since You And

He Were Friends, Than He Ever Was Before. You Have Been More Than Good

To The Troublesome 'Brat' Who Has Upset All Your Arrangements And

Calculations So Often. Perhaps You May Never See The Boy Any More.

Yet, Who Knows What May Happen At Monte Carlo? Anyhow, Whatever Comes

In The Future, He Will Never Forget, Never Cease To Care For You; And

Of One Thing Besides He Is Sure. Never Again Will He Like Any Other

Man As Much As The One Man Who Deserves To Begin With A Capital.

"Good-Bye, Dear Man, And All Good Things Be With You, Wherever You May

Go, Is The Prayer Of--Boy."

Perhaps Never To See The Boy Again! Why, I Must Be Dreaming This. I

Should Wake Up Soon, And Everything Would Be As It Had Been. I Had The

Sensation Of Having Swallowed Something Very Large And Very Cold,

Which Would Not Melt. Reading The Letter Over For The Second Time Made

It No Better, But Rather Worse. The Boy Had Become Almost As Important

In My Scheme Of Life As My Lungs Or My Legs, And I Did Not Quite See,

At The Moment, How It Would Be Any More Possible To Get On Without One

Than The Other.

Behold, I Was Stricken Down By Mine Own Familiar Friend; Yet No Wrath

Against Him Burned Within Me; There Was Only That Cold Lump Of

Disappointment, Which Seemed To Be Increasing To The Size Of A Small

Iceberg. Even Lacking Explanations, Or Attempt At Them, I Knew That He

Had Told The Truth Without Flattery. He Had Wanted To Stay, Yet He Had

Gone. And He Said That Perhaps I Might Never See Him Again! If I Could

Have Had My Choice Last Night, Whether To Have The Boy Lopped Off My

Life, Or To Lose A Hand, The Probabilities Are That I Would Have

Sacrificed The Hand. But I Had Been Offered No Choice.

I Recalled Our Parting, And Found New Meaning In The Words He Had

Spoken At His Door. There Was No Doubt About It; Even Then He Had

Decided To Break Away From Me.

I Realised This, And At The Same Instant Rebelled Against The

Decision. I Determined Not To Accept It. He Had Vanished Because Of

The Two Americans; Exactly Why, I Could Not Even Guess, But I Was

Certain That The Reason Was Not To His Discredit. To Theirs, Perhaps,

But Not To His. Nevertheless, They Were Somehow To Blame For My Loss,

And If The Young Men Had Appeared At This Moment, I Should Have Been

Impelled To Do Them A Mischief.

The Principal Thing Was, However, Not To Let Them Cheat Me Irrevocably

Of My Comrade. I Would Not Depend Solely Upon That Hint About Monte

Carlo. I Would Find Out Where He Had Gone, And I Would Follow. Let Him

Be Angry If He Would. His Anger, Though A Hot Flame While It Burned,

Never Endured Long.

"Did Monsieur Leave Here By Rail?" I Enquired Of Innocentina.

She Shrugged Her Shoulders. "That I Cannot Tell."

"Do You Mean You Can't, Or Won't?"

"I Know Nothing, Monsieur, Except That I Have Been Paid Well, And Told

That I May Go Home As Soon As I Like, And By What Route I Like, Having

Delivered The Letter To Monsieur. My Young Master Gave Me Enough To

Return With The Donkeys To Mentone All The Way From Chambéry By Rail

If I Chose; But I Prefer To Walk Down, And Keep The Extra Money For My

_Dot_. It Will Make Me A Good One."

I Am Not Sure That, Before Disentangling A Huge Bottle-Fly From

Fanny's Long Lashes, She Did Not Glance Under Her Own At Joseph, When

Giving This Information.

"Look Here, Innocentina," I Said Beguilingly, "Tell Me Which Way, And

How, Your Young Monsieur Has Gone, And I Will Double That _Dot_ Of

Yours."

"Not If You Would Quadruple It, Monsieur. I Promised My Master To Say

Nothing."

"Couldn't You Get Absolution For Breaking A Promise?"

"No, Monsieur. I Am Not That Kind Of Catholic. It Is Only Heretics

Who Break Their Promises, And Take Money For It--Like Judas Iscariot."

Joseph Did Not Charge At This Red Rag, But Looked So Utterly Depressed

That Innocentina's Eyes Relented.

"Very Well," I Said. "You Deserve Praise For Your Loyalty. I Ought Not

To Have Tried To Corrupt It. But, You Know, I Shall Find Out In The

Town, Or At The Railway Station."

Innocentina Smiled. "I Do Not Think So, Monsieur."

"We Shall See," I Retorted. "Joseph, Where Is The Railway Station?"

Joseph Pointed, Accompanying His Gesture With Directions. Then He

Offered To Be My Guide, But I Refused His Services And Left Him With

Innocentina, Having Bidden Him Call At My Room In The Hotel For

Instructions Later.

But The Prophecy Of Innocentina The Seeress Was Fulfilled. I Could

Learn Nothing Of The Boy Or His Movements, At The _Gare_ Of Chambéry.

Several Trains Had Gone Out, Bound For Several Destinations In

Different Directions, During The Past Three Hours, And No One

Answering The Description I Gave Of The Boy Had Been Seen To Leave.

Sadder, But No Wiser, I Returned To The Hôtel De France, And Asked If

A Youth Of Seventeen, "With Large Blue Eyes, Chestnut Hair Which

Curled, A Complexion Tanned Brown, A Panama Hat, And A Suit Of

Navy-Blue Serge Knickerbockers," Had Lunched There.

The Answer Was No. Such A Yoking Gentleman Had Not Come To The Hotel,

Nor Had He Been Noticed In The Town, Either With Or Without A Young

Woman And A Couple Of Donkeys.

I Had No More Than Finished My Questionings And Gone Up To My Room,

When Joseph Arrived--A Wistful, Expectant Joseph, With A Deep Light Of

Excitement Burning In His Eyes.

"Any News?" I Asked.

"No, Monsieur, Except That In An Hour Innocentina Starts To Walk On To

Les Echelles With Her _Ânes_."

"She Is Energetic."

"The Girl Knows Not What Is The Fatigue. Besides, Each Day Less On The

Road Means So Many More Francs Added To The _Dot_."

"Innocentina Seems Very Keen Upon Increasing That _Dot_. Has She

Anyone In View To Share It With Her?"

"She Has Not Confided That To Me, Monsieur."

"I Suppose He Would Have To Be A Good Catholic?"

"Of That I Am Not So Sure. I Do Not Think She Would Object To A Good

Protestant, If He Would Allow The Children To Be Brought Up In Her

Faith."

"The Lady Is Brave. She Takes Time By The Forelock."

"It Is The Wise Way, Monsieur."

"Well, Whoever He May Be, I Am Sure _You_ Do Not Envy The Future

_Mari_, _Dot_ Or No _Dot_. Your Opinion Of Innocentina----"

"Ah, It Is Changed, Monsieur, Completely Changed, I Confess."

"Then, After All, It Is Innocentina Who Has Converted You."

Joseph Bent His Head To Hide A Flush. "Perhaps, Monsieur, If You Put

It In That Way. Yet It Was Not Of Myself Nor Of Innocentina I Came To

Talk, But Of The Plans Of Monsieur."

"Plans? I've No Plans," I Answered Dejectedly.

"Will Monsieur Wish To Proceed To-Morrow Morning As Usual?"

"Proceed Where?" I Gloomily Capped His Question With Another.

"On The Way South, Towards The Riviera, Is It Not? If We Made An Early

Start, It Might Be Possible To Go By The Route Of La Grande

Chartreuse, And Reach The Monastery Late In The Afternoon. If Monsieur

Wished To Sleep There, Travellers Are Accommodated At The Sister

House, Which Has Been Turned Into An Hôtellerie Since The Expulsion Of

The Order."

I Reflected A Moment Before Replying. On The Face Of It, It Appeared

Like Weakness To Change My Plans Simply Because I Had Been Deserted By