Colonel Quinnox came to the castle in haste and perturbation. It was he
who propounded the question that Yetive and Beverly were expecting:
"Where is Baldos?" Of course, the flight of the suspected guard was soon
a matter of certainty. A single imploring glance from the princess,
meant for the faithful Quinnox alone, told him as plainly as words could
have said that she had given the man his freedom. And Quinnox would have
died a thousand times to protect the secret of his sovereign, for had
not twenty generations of Quinnoxes served the rulers of Graustark with
unflinching loyalty? Baron Dangloss may have suspected the trick, but he
did not so much as blink when the princess instructed him to hunt high
and low for the fugitive.
Marlanx came at eleven. Under the defiant calmness of his bearing there
was lurking a mighty fear. His brain was scourged by thoughts of
impending disgrace. The princess had plainly threatened his
degradation. After all these years, he was to tremble with shame and
humiliation; he was to cringe where he had always boasted of domineering
power. And besides all this, Marlanx had a bullet wound in his left
shoulder! The world could not have known, for he knew how to conceal
pain.
He approached the slender, imperious judge in the council-chamber with a
defiant leer on his face. If he went down into the depths he would drag
with him the fairest treasure he had coveted in all his years of lust
and desire.
"A word with you," he said in an aside to Beverly, as she came from the
council-chamber, in which she felt she should not sit. She stopped and
faced him. Instinctively she looked to see if he bore evidence of a
wound. She was positive that her bullet had struck him the night before,
and that Marlanx was the man with the cloak.
"Well?" she said coldly. He read her thoughts and smiled, even as his
shoulder burned with pain.
"I will give you the chance to save yourself. I love you. I want you. I
must have you for my own," he was saying.
"Stop, sir! It may be your experience in life that women kneel to you
when you command. It may be your habit to win what you set about to
win. But you have a novel way of presenting your devoire, I must
say. Is this the way in which you won the five unfortunates whom you
want me to succeed? Did you scare them into submission?"
"No, no! I cared nothing for them. You are the only one I ever loved--"
"Really, Count Marlanx, you are most amusing," she interrupted, with a
laugh that stung him to the quick." You have been unique in your
love-making. I am not used to your methods. Besides, after having known
them, I'll confess that I don't like them in the least. You may have
been wonderfully successful in the past, but you were not dealing with
an American girl. I have had enough of your insults. Go! Go in and
face--"