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He had dismounted, but he knew that he could never climb to the back of the horse; and Bleiberg might yet be miles away. To walk the distance; was it possible? To reach Bleiberg before Madame.... Madame the duchess and her army! He laughed again, but there was a wild strain in his laughter. Ah, God! what a farce it was! One man dead and another dying; the beginning and the end of the war.
It was altogether a different scene from that which was called the court of Bleiberg. There was no restraint here; all was laughter, music, dancing, and wines. The women were young, the men were young; old age stood at one side and looked on. And the charming Voiture-verse of a countess, Maurice was determined to seek her first of all.
You were one of the bright spots in the old days." "Do you want me to walk with you to the Grand? It's a fine night," said Maurice, waving his hand toward the moon. "By George, what a beautiful place this end of Bleiberg is! I do not wonder that the duchess covets it." "No, I'll go alone. All I have to do is to march straight up the Strasse."
It was plain that the object of this skirmish had been to destroy communications between Bleiberg and the frontier. Madame desired to effect a complete surprise, to swoop down on the capital before it could bring a large force into the field. There is an unwritten law that when one country intends to wage war against its neighbor a formal declaration shall be made.
He went to the window seat. The Colonel rose and followed him. "Pardon me," he said to Fitzgerald, who did not feel at all complimented by Madame's haste; "a few words in Monsieur Carewe's ear. He will go to Bleiberg; he will be glad to go." He bent towards Maurice. "Go to Bleiberg, my son. A word to him about Madame, and off you go to Brunnstadt. Will you be of any use there? I think not.
He led out two, saddled and bridled them and returned to the prince, who had fallen asleep. Maurice roused him. "To Bleiberg, your Highness," he cried, at the same time offering the bottle, which the prince did not hesitate to empty. "Ha!" staggering to his feet. "Where are the men?" Maurice explained the cause of their absence. The prince swore, and climbed with difficulty into the saddle.
She is so troubled with sleeplessness that nothing will quiet her but the sight of the man who rides the horse: all of which is to say that a courier arrives each night with dispatches from Bleiberg. Now, to tell the truth, the courier does not keep me awake half so much as the thought of who is eating three meals a day at the end of the east corridor on the third floor.
"Are you not Maurice Carewe, of the American Legation in Vienna?" "Yes." "May I ask you a few questions?" "A thousand." "A fellow-countryman of mine has mysteriously disappeared. He left Vienna for Bleiberg, saying that if nothing was heard of him within a week's time, to make inquiries about him.
I am not presentable. Look at me; my hat is out of shape, my clothes dusty, and I dare say that my face needs washing." The Presence replied to this remarkable defense with laughter, laughter in which Maurice detected an undercurrent of bitterness. "Monsieur Carewe, you are not acquainted with affairs in Bleiberg, or you would know that I am a nobody.
At any rate, I am glad that the affair is at an end. It was very noble in you. If I had had my way, though, it would have been war, pure and simple. I left the duchess in Brunnstadt this morning; she will be delighted to attend the wedding." "She will attend it," said Maurice, grimly; "but I would not lay odds on her delight. Colonel, the devil take me if I go to Bleiberg on any such errand."
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