Part 24 (1/2)
The Terror looked puzzled for a moment; then his face cleared into a glorious smile, and he cried:
”By Jove! Of course you would! I never thought of that! Why, you'd be some one else and not the princess at all! We shouldn't know where the princess was if we were asked.”
”Of course we shouldn't!” said Erebus, perceiving the advantage of this ignorance.
”I generally am the Baroness von Zwettel when I travel,” said the princess.
The Terror considered the matter, again frowning thoughtfully: ”I suppose you have to have a t.i.tle. But I think an English one would be best here: Lady Rowington now. No one would ever ask us where Lady Rowington is, because there isn't any Lady Rowington.”
”Oh, yes: Lady Rowington--I would wish an English t.i.tle,” said the princess readily.
”If we could only think of some way of making them think that she'd been stolen by gipsies, it would be safer still,” said Erebus.
”Gipsies don't steal children nowadays,” said the Terror; and he paused considering. Then he added, ”I tell you what though: Nihilists would--at least they'd steal a princess. Are there any Nihilists in Ca.s.sel-Na.s.sau?”
”I never heard of any,” said the princess. ”There are thousands of Socialists.”
”Socialists will do,” said the Terror cheerfully.
They were quick in deciding that the princess should not join them till the second night of their stay in camp, to give them time to have everything in order. Then they discussed her needs. She could not bring away with her any clothes, or it would be plain that she had not been stolen. She must share the wardrobe of Erebus.
”But, no. I have money,” said the princess, thrusting her hand into her pocket. ”Will you not buy me clothes?”
She drew out a little gold chain purse with five sovereigns in it, and handed it to the Terror. He and Erebus examined it with warm admiration, for it was indeed a pretty purse.
”We should have had to buy you a bathing-dress, anyhow. There's a pool just under the knoll,” said the Terror. ”How much shall we want, Erebus?”
”You'd better have two pounds and be on the safe side,” said Erebus.
The Terror transferred two sovereigns from the purse of the princess to his own. Then he arranged that she should meet him outside the door of the peach-garden at nine o'clock, or thereabouts at night. He would wait half an hour that she might not have to hurry and perhaps arouse the suspicion that she had gone of her own free will. He made several suggestions about the manner of her escape.
When she left them, they rode straight to Rowington and set about purchasing her outfit. They bought a short serge skirt, two linen s.h.i.+rts, a blue jersey against the evening chill, a cap, sandals, stockings, underclothing and a bathing-dress. They carried the parcels home on their bicycles. When she saw them on their arrival Mrs.
Dangerfield supposed that they were parts of their own equipment.
That evening the Terror worked hard at his ingenious device for throwing the searchers off the scent. It was:
[Ill.u.s.tration: Skull and Crossbones captioned ”We are avenged. A Desparate Socialist”]
He went to bed much pleased with his handiwork.
They spent a busy morning carrying their camping outfit to Deeping Knoll. The last two hundred yards of path to it was very narrow so that they transported their belongings to the entrance to it in Tom Cobb's donkey-cart, and carried them up to the knoll on their backs.
In other years their outfit had been larger, for their mother had encamped with them. This year she had not cared for the effort; and she had also felt that ten days' holiday out of the strenuous atmosphere which spread itself round the Twins, would be restful and pleasant. She was sure that they might quite safely be trusted to encamp by themselves on Deeping Knoll. Not only were they of approved readiness and resource; but buried in the heart of that wood, they were as safe from the intrusion of evil-doers as on some desert South Sea isle. She was somewhat surprised by the Terror's readiness to take as many blankets as she suggested. In other years he had been disposed to grumble at the number she thought necessary.
The Twins had carried their outfit to the knoll by lunch-time; and they lunched, or rather dined, with a very good appet.i.te. Then they began to arrange their belongings, which they had piled in a heap as they brought them up, in their proper caves. With a break of an hour for a bath this occupied them till tea-time. After tea they bathed again and then set about collecting fuel from the wood. They were too tired to spend much time on cooking their supper; and soon after it, rolled in their blankets on beds of bracken, they were sleeping like logs. They were up betimes, bathing.
This day was far less strenuous than the day before. They spent most of it in the pool or on its bank. In the afternoon Wiggins came and did not leave them till seven. Soon after eight o'clock the Terror set out to keep his tryst with the princess. He took with him the Socialist manifesto and pinned it to the post of a wicket gate opening from the gardens into the park on the opposite side of the Grange to Deeping Knoll. Then he came round to the door in the peach-garden wall two or three minutes before the clock over the stables struck nine.
He had not long to wait; he heard the gentle footfall of the princess on the garden path, the door opened, and she came through it. He shook hands with her warmly; and as they went up the screen of trees she told him how she had bidden the baroness and Miss Lambart good night, gone to her bedroom, ruffled the bed, locked the door, and slipped, unseen, down the stairs and out of the house. He praised her skill; and she found his praise very grateful.