Part 25 (1/2)
Sapt, Fritz, and I in my bed, looked round on one another in horror and bewilder of the plan Whether I went in peace or in war, openly at the head of a corps, or secretly by a stealthy assault, the King would be dead before I could coer and overcaer, I should have no way to punish hi(ah! for a moment my pulse quickened) and it would be for the future to witness the final struggle between him and me He seemed to have made triumph possible and ruin impossible At the worst, he would stand as well as he had stood before I crossed his path--with but one man between him and the throne, and that ainst hiun to think that Black Michael was over fond of leaving the fighting to his friends; but now I acknowledged that the brains, if not the ar know this?” I asked
”I and my brother,” answered Johann, ”put up the pipe, under the orders ofasked my lord what it h, 'it's a new improvement on the ladder of Jacob, whereby, as you have read, sire, ht it not o, by the coe where the vulgar cannot stare at you or inco of that pipe' And he laughed and bowed, and prayed the King's leave to replenish the King's glass--for the King was at supper And the King, though he is a brave rew red and then white as he looked on the pipe and at the merry devil who mocked him
Ah, sir” (and the fellow shuddered), ”it is not easy to sleep quiet in the Castle of Zenda, for all of theame at cards; and my Lord Rupert would choose it sooner for a pastime than any other--ay, sooner than he would ruin a woh that he loves also”
The man ceased, and I bade Fritz take hi to him, I added:
”If anyone asks you if there is a prisoner in Zenda, you may answer 'Yes' But if any asks who the prisoner is, do not answer For all my promises will not save you if any man here learns from you the truth as to the prisoner of Zenda I'll kill you like a dog if the thing be so one, I looked at Sapt
”It's a hard nut!” said I
”So hard,” said he, shaking his grizzled head, ”that as I think, this ti of Ruritania!” and he broke out into curses on Michael's cunning
I lay back on my pillows
”There see can come out of Zenda alive One is by treachery in the duke's followers”
”You can leave that out,” said Sapt
”I hope not,” I rejoined, ”because the other I was about to mention is--by a ht Outside the Castle
It would have surprised the good people of Ruritania to know of the foregoing talk; for, according to the official reports, I had suffered a grievous and dangerous hurt from an accidental spear-thrust, received in the course of my sport I caused the bulletins to be of a very serious character, and created great public exciteravely offended theto su man, a friend of Fritz's, e could trust; secondly, I received word froht than his, and that the Princess Flavia was leaving for Tarlenhei escort (nehereat I strove not to be glad and proud); and thirdly, h too well inforin of my sickness, was yet persuaded by the reports and byinactivity that I was in truth incapable of action, and that er This I learnt from the man Johann, whom I was compelled to trust and send back to Zenda, where, by the way, Rupert Hentzau had hi to sht in the pursuits of love This, from Rupert, Johann deeply resented, and the duke's approval of it did more to bind the keeper to my side than all my promises
On Flavia's arrival I cannot dwell Her joy at findingwith death, makes a picture that even now dances before row too dim to see it; and her reproaches that I had not trusted even her must excuse the means I took to quiet them In truth, to have her with me once more was like a taste of heaven to a damned soul, the sweeter for the inevitable doo able to waste thole days with her And when I had wasted two days, the Duke of Strelsau arranged a hunting-party
The stroke was near now For Sapt and I, after anxious consultations, had resolved that weclinched by Johann's news that the King grew peaked, pale, and ill, and that his health was breaking down under his rigorous confine--entleman, from bullet or thrust, as rot his life out in a cellar! That thought ; frorew ed on e, and my own inclinations seconded him with such terrible insistence that I feared for my resolution I do not believe that I should have done the deed I dreaht would have ruined the cause And--yes, I aht have happened
It is perhaps as strange a thing as has ever been in the history of a country that the King's brother and the King's personator, in a time of profound outward peace, near a placid, undisturbed country town, under see a desperate war for the person and life of the King Yet such was the struggle that began noeen Zenda and Tarlenheim When I look back on the time, I seem to myself to have been half mad Sapt has told me that I suffered no interference and listened to no re of Ruritania ruled like a despot, I was, in those days, thethat made life sweet to me, and I took les an old glove At first they strove to guard me, to keep me safe, to persuade me not to exposethe that Fate ruled the issue, and that I aht I rose from table, where Flavia had sat by me, and conducted her to the door of her apartments There I kissed her hand, and bade her sleep sound and wake to happy days Then I changedfor me with sixcoil of rope, and both were heavily ar knife Making a circuit, we avoided the town, and in an hour found ourselves slowly ht was dark and very storht us as we breasted the incline, and the great trees hed
When we came to a thick clump, about a quarter of a mile from the Castle, we bade our six friends hide there with the horses Sapt had a whistle, and they could rejoin us in a few er came: but, up to noe had uard, believing ained the top of the hill without accident, and found ourselves on the edge of thethe Old Castle froe of the bank, and Sapt, silently and diligently, set to make fast the rope I stripped off my boots, took a pull at a flask of brandy, loosened the knife in its sheath, and took the cudgel betweena last look of entreaty fro to have a look at ”Jacob's Ladder”
Gently I lowered ht ild, the day had been warht, and the water was not cold I struck out, and began to swireat walls which frowned above ood hopes of not being seen, as I crept along close under the dahts froain I heard laughter andRupert Hentzau's ringing tones, and pictured hihts to the business in hand, I rested a ht, I must be near theVery slowly I moved; and out of the darkness ahead loo from theto the water: about four feet of its surface were displayed; it was as big round as twoelse, and my heart stood still
The nose of a boat protruded beyond the pipe on the other side; and listening intently, I heard a slight shuffle--as of a uarded Michael's invention? Was he awake or was he asleep? I felt if my knife were ready, and trod water; as I did so, I found bottom under my feet The foundations of the Castle extended soe; and I stood on it, out of water froh the darkness under the pipe, where, curving, it left a space
There was a leam of the barrel Here was the sentinel! He sat very still I listened; he breathed heavily, regularly,on the shelf, I dreard under the pipe tillman, I saw It was Max Holf, the brother of Johann My hand stole to my belt, and I drew out my knife Of all the deeds of my life, I love the least to think of this, and whether it were the act of a man or a traitor I will not ask I said to 's life is the stake” And I raised myself from beneath the pipe and stood up by the boat, which layreat fellow stirred He opened his eyes--wide, wider He grasped in terror at my face and clutched at his rifle I struck ho fro him where he lay, a huddled mass, I turned to ”Jacob's Ladder”