The Colonel of the Red Huzzars Read online

  V

  THE SALUTE OF A FRIEND

  One Court function is pretty much like another, Europe over. There isthe same sparkle of jewels and shimmer of silk on aristocratic woman;the same clank of spur and rattle of sword and brilliancy of uniform onofficial man.

  Courtney had long ago become familiar with it all, and I in my detailsand travels had seen enough to make me indifferently easy, at least.We had tarried overtime with the King, and, so, were the last to reachthe Hall. At the door Cosgrove joined us and under his guidance wemade our way to the diplomatic line. Scarcely were we there when HisMajesty and the Princess Royal were announced and between the ranks ofbowing guests they passed to the throne. As Frederick stepped upon thedais there arose spontaneously the shout, thrice repeated:

  "Long live the King!"

  And then someone cried:--

  "Long live Dalberg!" And the throng joined in it twice again.

  How the King acknowledged it I do not know. My whole attention wasgiven to the Princess. It was my first good view of her since the dayI had acted as substitute groom. For the bad few minutes lately passedhad been given over to labial and mental sensations to the exclusion ofthe ocular. Now I had more leisure while those ranking and senior toCourtney made their felicitations upon the royal birthday.

  She was little changed from my lady of the forest; only a bit moreroundness to the figure and maturity in the face, particularly aboutthe set of the mouth when in repose. Otherwise, she was the samecharming woman who had smiled me into subjection six years before.Beautiful? Of course; but do not ask me for description, other thanthat she was medium in height, willowy in figure and dark blonde intype. With that outline your imagination must fill in the rest. Wordsonly caricature a glorious woman.

  When it came our turn, the King seemed to make it a point to greet mewith marked cordiality; not waiting for my name to be announced, butstepping over to the edge of the dais to meet me and holding me inconversation an unusual time. It was noticed to the Court that I hadthe royal favor.

  Then, with the quiet aside: "It's all explained," he passed me over tothe Princess.

  She was talking with Courtney, and turned and met me with a smile.

  "Let us shake hands and be friends, cousin," she said.

  The graciousness of the gesture, was plain enough to the whole room,but the words reached only Courtney and me.

  "I don't deserve it--cousin," I said; but I took her hand, none theless.

  Then, after a word more, we gave place to those that followed us. But,as I bowed away, she said low: "The sixth dance, cousin."

  And so I knew my peace was made.

  I looked for some banter from Courtney, but there was none; only a bitof a smile under the grey moustache. What he said was:

  "Come, let us circle the room and see whom we know."

  "We know none, if I'm to do the knowing," I said.

  "Queer state of affairs," he reflected; "the true Heir Presumptive, yeta stranger in the Court."

  "Oh! drop that nonsense," I said.

  His hand went up to his imperial. "Nonsense? Well, maybe so,--andthere's the pity of it."

  I laughed. "My dear fellow," I said, "you are becoming sentimental,and without even the excuse of a pretty woman in the case."

  He faced toward the throne. "You don't act like a blind man," he said.

  "I can see the Princess very clearly, but only with Major Dalberg'seyes," I replied.

  "But if you were proclaimed the----"

  I cut him short. "I am too old for rainbow-chasing, and SpanishCastles don't become an ambassador."

  "There you are wrong, my dear Major; diplomacy deals in _chateaux enEspagne_. It has builded many upon weaker foundations than this one,that have, in time, become substantial and lasting."

  "Then, it's a good thing that we army fellows are called upon,occasionally, to tumble a few of them about your diplomatic ears."

  He laughed. "You poor military men don't know it's only the phantomcastles you tumble. We never give you a chance at any others."

  "So I've been a Don Quixote all these years and didn't know it?"

  "About that!"

  "And that warrants you in sending me to tilt against this foolishheir-presumptive windmill."

  "But if it were to prove no windmill?"

  "Surely," I said--"Surely, you are not serious?"

  He gave me one of his quick glances and his hand went back to his chin.

  "'Quien sabe?' as the Spaniard would say, Major; 'Quien sabe?'" hereplied.

  "Don't be an ass, Courtney," I exclaimed. "And don't play me for one,either."

  A lift of the eyebrows was his answer--but Courtney could say much thatway.

  "It's not a bad sort of occupation--being a King," he reflected.

  I ignored him.

  "And you could fill the place quite as well as Ferdinand of Lotzen," hewent on.

  "You will be offering presently to wager that I'll be the next King ofValeria," I scoffed.

  "With the proper odds, I'd risk it."

  "Name them."

  "No--not yet," he said; "but I'll go you five thousand even, now, thatyou marry the Princess Royal."

  "This court atmosphere seems to go to your head."

  "That has nothing to do with the wager," he insisted.

  "I'll not take you," I said. "The last fool bet is enough for me."

  "I thought I heard someone say: 'The sixth dance, cousin.'"

  "You did."

  "And you call that a 'fool bet'?"

  "I do,--and the more so that we were sober when we made it."

  "You're a bit hard to please, lately," he mocked.

  "I'm a bit easily led astray, lately, you mean," I retorted.

  All this talk, as we made our way through the crowd, was interrupted atintervals while Courtney greeted those he knew and presented me. Theywere mainly of the diplomatic corps and, if they noted the coincidenceof my name and Dalberg features, they were adepts enough not to showit. Not so, however, with some of the elderly Valerian dignitaries andarmy officers; they were very evidently surprised and curious,--and,very shortly, it was plain I was the object of their discussion andcareful observation.

  "How do you enjoy it?" Courtney inquired.

  "You forget that this is not my first visit to Dornlitz," I answered.

  "Some day I'd like to know of those other visits."

  "There's nothing to know; they were like any other tourist's."

  "Really, Major, you throw your opportunities away," he said, and I sawhe did not believe me.

  "What opportunities?" I asked.

  He smiled. "Well, not those for prevarication, certainly."

  "Isn't that a necessary qualification of a diplomatic attache?" I said.

  "Quite the most important,--and I don't doubt you will find it usefulbefore you leave Valeria."

  Then the band blared out into a waltz and the crowd drew away from thecentre of the floor. I expected the real Heir Presumptive to lead outthe Princess. I admit I was curious to see him. Report made him avery able young fellow, and his pictures showed a goodly figure.Instead, however, someone in a Colonel's uniform was her partner toopen the dance. I turned to Courtney interrogatingly.

  "It is Prince Charles, Lotzen's brother," he explained.

  "And the Duke?" I asked.

  "Still with the Army, I suppose."

  Then the Princess swung by and, catching my eye, gave me a quick smile.

  "Sort of a relief, isn't it?" Courtney remarked.

  I nodded mechanically.

  "Only I wouldn't tell her so," he said.

  "Wouldn't tell her what?" I demanded.

  "That you were relieved to know she could dance."

  "I never doubted it," I said shortly.

  He looked surprised. "Oh!" he remarked; "Oh!"--and fell to strokinghis imperial.

  "Courtney," said I, "you're a great fool--and I'm another."

  "True, Major, quite true; I found that
out long ago."

  My irritation went down before his unfailing good nature. It wasalways so.

  "Since we are unanimous on that point," I said, "I have no ground forquarrel."

  I danced the next number with Lady Helen, the youngest daughter of LordRadnor, the British Ambassador. We were old friends, after the modernfashion. I had met her in Washington some four or five years before,while on staff duty, and we had danced and dined ourselves into eachother's regard. Then, Lord Radnor was transferred to Dornlitz and Iwent back into active service. So I had been altogether well pleasedto find her with the Radnors when we chanced upon them during thestroll around the room, and I had engaged a pair of dances to give us achance for a quiet little chat.

  "Do you know, Major, for a stranger you are arousing extraordinarycuriosity?" she remarked, as we sat on the terrace.

  I smiled. "Yes, I believe I am."

  She looked surprised. "So you have heard of it?"

  "I knew it years ago."

  "Oh, how stupid!" she exclaimed. "Of course, this is not your firstvisit to Dornlitz. Yet, it's a queer coincidence that you should haveboth the family name and the great Henry's features."

  "Oh, no," said I; "not particularly queer, since I am hisgreat-great-grandson."

  She closed her fan with a snap. "His great-great-grandson!" she echoed.

  I nodded.

  "But I thought yours an old American family. Didn't you tell me, oneday at Mount Vernon, that a Dalberg fought with Washington?"

  It was my turn to be surprised. I had long forgotten both thecircumstance and the remark. "And I told you truly enough," I answered.

  She frowned a bit; then shook her head. "I cannot understand," shesaid.

  Doubtless I was foolish--Courtney would have called it somethingstronger--but, nevertheless, I told her the story of Hugo. For thebenefit of the scoffer let me say that the Lady Helen could be veryfetching when she was so minded, and this was our first meeting in fouryears.

  "How romantic!" she exclaimed, when I had finished my tale. "Fatherwill be so interested."

  I almost tumbled out of the chair. "Lord Radnor will not have theopportunity to be interested," I said sharply. "You may not tell him,nor anyone."

  "Certainly not, if you wish it," she said instantly.

  I thought she could be trusted; but it would do no harm to give her abit of warning as to the situation.

  "None but the King, the Princess and Courtney knows of thisrelationship," I said.

  She regarded me with an amused smile. "Which means, if it becomeknown, I alone could be the tattler."

  There was no need to press the point further.

  "It is His Majesty's secret as well as mine," I said, as if inexplanation.

  She shrugged her pretty shoulders. "I shall keep it becauseit's--yours," she answered.

  There was no doubt Lady Helen could be fetching when she was so minded.

  I took her hand and kissed it. Then I glanced around for onlookers.

  Lady Helen laughed softly. "You men always do that," she said.

  "Oh!" said I.

  "You look only after it's all over."

  "Oh!" said I, again.

  "At least, so I have observed," she admitted, frankly.

  "You mean such has been your experience?"

  "Well," said she, with a mischievous gleam in her grey eyes, "wasn't itso just now?"

  I got up and looked carefully around. No one was very near and we werein the shadow. I leaned over and quickly kissed her on the cheek.

  "It wasn't so that time," I said.

  She sat perfectly quiet for a bit.

  "Let us hope," she said, at length; "let us hope that your eyes weretrustworthy. Otherwise----"

  "Yes?" I questioned.

  "Otherwise our engagement must be announced or----"

  "Yes?"

  "You must give me the chance to cut you publicly, after which you mustleave Dornlitz."

  Here was a mess, sure enough. Yet, I was in for it--as most foolsusually are.

  "Which shall it be?" I said gayly.

  She leaned close and looked me in the eyes. And beside her winsomeface I saw, in my mind's eye, the Princess's, too--but only for aninstant. Then I took her hand again. She smiled sweetly, almost assweetly as Dehra herself could do.

  "Let us wait until we know if we were seen," she said.

  I made a move to kiss her again, but she drew away.

  "Not so, sir; that time you did not look," she said, and stepped outinto the light. Then I took her back to Lady Radnor.

  "Don't be disconsolate, Major," she said, as we parted. "No one sawyou--on the terrace."

  I looked down at her gravely. "I am beginning to hope someone did," Isaid.

  She shot a quick glance at me over her fan. "Are you tired of Dornlitzso soon?" she asked.

  "I think I want to stay in Dornlitz," I answered.

  "But the alternative, Major, the alternative."

  "That is why I want to stay."

  She smiled. "You did that very prettily," she said. "I shall forgiveyou the--the kiss."

  "But if someone saw it?" I protested.

  "You great stupid," she exclaimed, "no one did. Do you think I didn'tlook?"

  "Oh!" said I. "Oh!"

  "Sometimes you men are very foolish," she sympathized.

  I looked at her a bit in silence. "You have changed since America," Iremarked.

  "For the better?"

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  "That's not nice of you," she said.

  Then Courtney came up.

  "Run along, Major," he ordered; "you've kept the Lady Helen over time."

  She took his arm. "Please take me out on the terrace," she said. Thenshe smiled at me aggravatingly.

  "Maybe our chairs are still vacant; better take Courtney to them," Isaid maliciously.

  It was not quite fair, possibly; and she told me so with her eyes,though her lips smiled. I knew I had given her another score to settle.