Part 44 (1/2)
”You'll do that?” interrupted Rischenhei,” said Colonel Sapt, and again he pointed to thetime about it,” remarked Lieutenant von Bernenstein
Rischenheim sat silent for a moment His face was pale, and when he spoke his voice treave my honor to the queen, and even in that I will serve her if she coht him by the hand ”That's what I like,” said he, ”and damn the moon, colonel!” His sentence was hardly out of his mouth when the door opened, and to our astonisha was just behind her; her clasped hands and frightened eyes seeainst her will The queen was clad in a long white robe, and her hair hung on her shoulders, being but loosely bound with a ribbon Her air showed great agitation, and without any greeting or notice of the rest she walked quickly across the rooain Helga persuaded me to lie down, and I was very tired, so at last I fell asleep Then it came
I saw him, Fritz--I saw hi, as they did to-day; but they did not cheer They were quiet, and looked at him with sad faces I could not hear what they said; they spoke in hushed voices I heard nothing ,'
and he see on so stuff, I couldn't see what it was; yes, quite still His face was so pale, and he didn't hear the' Fritz, Fritz, he looked as if he were dead! Where is he?
Where have you let hio?”
She turned from me and her eyes flashed over the rest ”Where is he? Why aren't you with hie of tone; ”why aren't you round hiive your lives for his Indeed, gentleht be that there was little reason in her words There appeared to be no danger threatening hi, much as we desired to make him such Yet we did not think of any such nation as deserved
We hung our heads, and Sapt's shaed sullenness of his answer
”He has chosen to go walking, o alone He ordered us--I say, he ordered us not to coht to obey him?” The sarcastic inflection of his voice conveyed his opinion of the queen's extravagance
”Obey hio with him if he forbade you But you should follow hiht”
This much she spoke in proud tones and with a disdainfulShe held out her hands towards :
”Fritz, where is he? Is he safe? Find him for me, Fritz; find hiround, madam,” I cried, for her appeal touched ardens,” grumbled old Sapt, still resentful of the queen's reproof and scornful of the woitation
He was also out of te in deciding whether she would ardens!” she cried ”Then let us look for hiardens alone?”
”What should harm the fellow?” muttered Sapt
She did not hear hia ith her, and we all followed, Sapt behind the rest of us, still very surly
I heard hi passed along the great corridor, caardens There were no servants about, but we encountered a night-watchman, and Bernenstein snatched the lantern froht thus furnished, the roohtly down on the broad gravel walk, on the forardens The queenflung theopen, stood by her The air eet, and the breeze struck with grateful coolness on my face I saw that Sapt had come near and stood on the other side of the queen My wife and the others were behind, looking out where our shoulders left space
There, in the bright ht, on the far side of the broad terrace, close by the line of tall trees that fringed its edge,Rudolf Rassendyll pacing slowly up and doith his hands behind his back and his eyes fixed on the arbiter of his fate, on her as to itive froh!”
The queen did not answer Sapt said nohireater surely has seldom fallen to the lot of any man born in a private station Yet I could read little of it on the face that the rays of white light displayed so clearly, although they turned his healthy tints to a dull gray, and gave unnatural sharpness to his features against the deep background of black foliage
I heard the queen's quick breathing, but there was scarcely another sound I saw her clutch her gown and pull it away a little froroup ht was too dim to force notice from Mr Rassendyll Unconscious of our presence, he wrestled with fate that night in the gardens
Suddenly the faintest exclamation came from Sapt He put his hand back and beckoned to Bernenstein The young man handed his lantern to the constable, who set it close to the side of the -fra, but I perceived what had caught Sapt's attention There were scores on the paint and indentations in the wood, just at the edge of the panel and near the lock I glanced at Sapt, who nodded his head It looked very ht, e a knife which had dented the ork and scratched the paint The least thing was enough to alar where we stood, and the constable's face was full of suspicion Who had sought an entrance? It could be no trained and practised housebreaker; he would have had better tools
But now our attention was again diverted Rudolf stopped short He still looked for a round at his feet A second later he jerked his head--it was bare, and I saw the dark red hair stir with thewhich caused him a puzzle In an instant we knew, by the quick intuition of contagious emotion, that the question had found its answer