Part 43 (1/2)
”No; Anton Rest while you can There will be little enough sleep for any of us”
”And little enough food, too,” said Grigosie, when Anton had cast himself down in a corner
”We are truly in a sad case, Princess”
”Grigosie, please; let osie It will be easier for both of us”
She crossed over to the steps which led to the upper chamber and sat down
”As you say, our position is hopeless,” Grigosie went on ”In Sturatzberg there are some ould strike a blow for Maritza, but no one knows of Grigosie It is a poor end to make, Captain I have had ht of failure, I have never pictured such a miserable failure as this I was prepared to face death and disaster, but if death calorious, that it should co with the news It was adown of a sun in purple and red and gold”
”Even as it is we h; ”and legend lives long, longer than faenerations to coe to laugh at me,”
she said
”At least, we can be honest with each other now,” said Ellerey ”At the best we can only keep these wolves at bay for a few hours Though these old walls stand, we have little food, little areat terrors for me I see how abeen unjustly robbed ofainst you--a woman”
”I am sorry Questionelse but failure from such a mad enterprise?” he asked
”Captain Ellerey, do you remember what I said e met on the downs that day?”
”Every word”
”That I spoke truly you no You kno my clainize the justice of it While I was in England, kept there to be out of the way,My adherents, rade of society there, but there was one hly depended He was in constant coreat sche the brigands to espouse my cause To these hills have flocked all the malcontents of the country They are not robbers; they are political outcasts ht their ruler So said this man, so he swore they were ready to do, but constantly advised a little further delay You cannot understand what this waiting day after day, month after month, meant to ht still be quietly waiting but for two things First I learnt that to be put further out of the way I was to visit England's colonies, a pleasure trip graciously arranged for me by your Government; secondly, I was infor for his own endsof the ways, Captain Ellerey, and I had to choose Another stepped on board the vessel placed at my disposal in my stead, and while she was taken to the colonies I ca
There I have since lived, watching and waiting, in the house of the woman who devised and helped me to carry out this plan”
”A woman!” Ellerey exclaireater because no one has any idea of its existence My first as to watch thefor me I quickly found that my interests were not first in his consideration, but I learned also that he feared his own scheIn this fear I saw my hope Was this unnatural?”
”Is this man De Froilette?” asked Ellerey
”He is the man Unconscious of ainst me Queen Elena had now become his dupe The men in the hills would help to set her alone upon the throne in Wallaria, and the King once got rid of and the country in insurrection, De Froilette would have sold it to Russia--more, would have aspired to the hand of the Queen Perhaps he loves her, perhaps he only loves the power he would gain His conspiracy ell laid, and he only wanted a ht, to pay the penalty should failure come, while he remained an uninterested citizen ready to be the first to cry out against the rebellion if necessary His choice fell upon Desmond Ellerey”
Ellerey did not answer This recital wasof this Captain,” the Princess went on ”In o chosen hiht I believed he had received the token It was I, Captain Ellerey, who ran with you along the deserted streets froht; it was I hen only nu you, came and looked into your eyes and was satisfied”
”Yet you didn't trust h to whisper your name,” said Ellerey
”At Court you came under the influence of Frina Mavrodin,” she went on hastily ”Perhaps, even with her, my cause took second place then
You were stanch to the mission you had undertaken; she could not turn you froh she influenced you in another way”
”What do you mean, Princess?”