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Read Ebook: By Wit of Woman by Marchmont Arthur W Vedder Simon Harmon Illustrator
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Ebook has 2697 lines and 82823 words, and 54 pages
"You are not thinking of making a confidant of an old widower like me, are you?"
"No, I am merely laying before you my qualifications."
"You know there is no room for heart in political intrigue? Tell me, then, plainly, what do you wish to do?"
"To lend my woman's wit to your Excellency's Government for a fair recompense."
There was a return to his former indulgent superiority in the question which nettled me.
"I could use opportunities as your agents cannot."
"It was no guess. I have seen the jewels in Madame d'Artelle's possession."
He tried not to appear surprised, but the effort was a failure.
"I have been entertaining a somewhat dangerous young woman in my house, it seems," he said.
"It was ridiculously easy, of course."
"Perhaps you will explain it to me."
"Indeed, I cannot."
It was my turn now to indulge in a smile of superiority.
"I am surprised; but I will make it plainer. I succeeded in interesting her so that she kept me in the house some hours. I was able to amuse her; and when I had discovered where she kept her chief treasures, the rest was easy."
"You looked for yourself?"
"You do me less than justice. I am not so crude and inartistic in my methods. She showed them to me herself."
"Miss Gilmore!" Disbelief of the statement cried aloud in his exclamation.
"Why not say outright that you find that impossible of credence? Yet it is true. I mean that I led her to speak of matters which necessitated her going to that hiding-place, and interested her until she forgot that I had eyes in my head, so that, in searching for something else, she let me see the jewels themselves."
"Could you get them back?" he asked, eagerly.
I drew myself up and answered very coldly.
"I have failed to make your Excellency understand me or my motives, I fear. I could do so, of course, if I were also--a thief!"
"I beg your pardon, Miss Gilmore," he exclaimed quickly, adding with a touch of malice. "But you so interested me that I forgot who you were."
"It was only an experiment on my part; and so far successful that I won the Countess' confidence and she has pressed me to go to her."
"You didn't refer her to me for your credentials, I suppose?" he said, his eyes lighting with sly enjoyment.
"She asked for no credentials."
"Do you mean that you talked her into wanting you so badly as to take you into her house without knowing anything about you?"
"May I remind your Excellency that I was honoured by even your confidence in giving me my present position without any credentials."
He threw up his hands.
"You have made me forget that in the excellent discretion with which you have since justified my confidence. I have indeed done you less than justice."
"The Countess thinks that, together, we should make a strong combination."
He paused, but I had no difficulty in completing his sentence.
"That is my view, also--unless at least I come to an understanding with you beforehand. It will help that understanding if I tell you that I am in no way dependent upon my work for my living. I am an American, as I have told you, but not a poor one; and my motive in all this has no sort of connexion with money. As money is reckoned here, I am already a sufficiently rich woman."
"You continue to surprise me. Yet you spoke of--of a recompense for your services?"
"I am a volunteer--for the present. I shall no doubt seek a return some time; but as yet, it will be enough for me to work for your Government; to go my own way, to use my own methods, and to rely only upon you where I may need the machinery at your disposal. My success shall be my own. If I succeed, the benefits will be yours; if I fail, you will be at liberty to disavow all connexion between us."
He sat thinking over these unusual terms so long that I had to dig in the spur.
"The Countess d'Artelle is a more dangerous woman than you seem at present to appreciate. She is the secret agent of her Government. She has not told me that, or I should not tell it to you; but I know it. Should I serve your Government or hers? The choice is open to me."
He drew a deep breath.
"I have half suspected it," he murmured; then bluntly: "You must not serve hers."
"That is the decision I was sure you would make, General. We will take it as final."
"You are a very remarkable young woman, Miss Gilmore."
"And now, a somewhat fatigued one. I will bid you good-night. I am no longer your daughter's governess, but will remain until you have found my successor."
"You will always be a welcome guest in my house," and he bade me good-night with such new consideration as showed me I had impressed him quite as deeply as I could have wished. Perhaps rather too deeply, I thought afterwards, when I recalled his glances as we parted.
MY PLAN OF CAMPAIGN
When my talk with General von Erlanger over the chess board took place, I had but recently decided to plunge into the maelstrom whose gloomy undercurrent depths concealed the proofs of my father's innocence and the dark secret of his cruel wrongs.
My motive in coming to Pesth was rather a desire to gauge for myself at first hand the possibility of success, should I undertake the task, than the definitely formed intention to attempt it.
I had studied all my father's papers closely, and in the light of them had pushed such inquiries as I could. I had at first taken a small house, and as a reason for my residence in the city had entered as a student of the university.
I was soon familiar with the surface position of matters. Duke Alexinatz was dead: his son's death was said to have broken his heart; and Duke Ladislas of Kremnitz was the acknowledged head of the Slavs. Major Katona was now Colonel Katona, and lived a life of seclusion in a house in a suburb of the city. Colonel von Erlanger had risen to be General, and was one of the chief Executive Ministers of the local Hungarian Government--a very great personage indeed.
The Duke had two sons, Karl the elder, his heir, and Gustav. Karl was a disappointment; and gossip was very free with his name as that of a morose, dissipated libertine, whose notorious excesses had culminated in an attachment for Madame d'Artelle, a very beautiful Frenchwoman who had come recently to the city.
Of Gustav, the younger, no one could speak too highly. He was all that his brother was not. As clever as he was handsome and as good as he was clever, "Gustav of the laughing eyes," as he was called, was a favourite with every one, men and women alike, from his father downwards. He was such a paragon, indeed, that the very praises of him started a prejudice in my mind against him.
I did not believe in paragons--men paragons, that is. Cynicism this, if you like, unworthy of a girl of three and twenty; but the result of a bitter experience which I had better relate here, as it will account for many things, and had close bearing upon what was to follow.
As I told General von Erlanger, I am not a "usual person;" and the cause is to be looked for, partly in my natural disposition and partly in my upbringing.
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