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Old Hans, overcome by fatigue, dozed in a chair in a far corner of the room. The reaction had been too much for him. Nella and Prince Aribert looked at each other. They had not exchanged a word about themselves, yet each knew what the other had been thinking. They clasped hands with a perfect understanding. Their brief love-making had been of the silent kind, and it was silent now.
The man started, muttered odd, fragmentary scraps of sentences, now grumbling, now whining. 'His mind is unhinged, Racksole whispered in English. 'Hush! said Prince Aribert. 'He understands English. But Prince Eugen took no notice of the brief colloquy. 'We had better get him upstairs, somehow, said Racksole. 'Yes, Aribert assented.
'The Grand Ducal Throne of Posen is occupied by his Highness's nephew, the Grand Duke Eugen. 'Nephew? cried Nella with astonishment. 'Why not, dear lady? 'But Prince Aribert is surely very young? 'The Prince, by one of those vagaries of chance which occur sometimes in the history of families, is precisely the same age as the Grand Duke. The late Grand Duke's father was twice married.
We despaired of his life, Hans, at one time, but thanks to an excellent constitution, he came safely through the ordeal. 'We must take care of him, your Highness. 'Yes, indeed, said Aribert solemnly, 'his life is very precious to Posen. At that moment, Eugen, Hereditary Prince of Posen, entered the audience chamber. He was pale and languid, and his uniform seemed to be a trouble to him.
Her father had spent the morning at the hotel, and Prince Aribert had kept watch. The two men were never absent from the house at the same time, and one of them always did duty as sentinel at night. On this afternoon Prince Aribert and Nella sat together in the patient's bedroom. The doctor had just left. Theodore Racksole was downstairs reading the New York Herald.
Give me your confidence. I thought you had given it me years ago, but I have lately discovered that you had your secrets, even then. And now, since your illness, you are still more secretive. 'What do you mean, Aribert? said Eugen, in a tone which might have been either inimical or friendly. 'What do you want to say?
The other players, perceiving that the affair had resolved itself into a duel, stood back for the most part and watched those two. Prince Aribert never stirred from his position behind the great red hat. The game continued. Racksole lost trifles from time to time, but ninety-nine hundredths of the luck was with him.
Aribert gave no answer to her query merely gazed at her with melancholy intensity. 'I think I will go and rest, she said at last. 'You will know all about the medicine. 'Sleep well, he said, as he softly opened the door for her. And then he was alone with Eugen.
Later, when Jules was alone again, he remarked to himself, 'I may get that hundred thousand. WHEN, immediately after the episode of the bottle of Romanee-Conti in the State dining-room, Prince Aribert and old Hans found that Prince Eugen had sunk in an unconscious heap over his chair, both the former thought, at the first instant, that Eugen must have already tasted the poisoned wine.
'Now for that lantern of yours, he said eagerly to Theodore Racksole, after he had translated to him the conversation of the two women, Racksole produced the dark lantern from the capacious pocket of his dust coat, and lighted it. The ray flashed about the ground. 'What is it? exclaimed Prince Aribert with a swift cry, pointing to the ground.
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