Fever made him submissive; her eyes gave him confidence; her voice

soothed his fears, if he possessed them. Leaning from the window, he

called his men together. Beverly looked on in wonder as these strange

men bade farewell to their leader. Many of them were weeping, and most

of them kissed his hand. There were broken sentences, tear-choked

promises, anxious inquiries, and the parting was over.

"Where are they going?" Beverly whispered, as they moved away in the

dusk.

"Back into the mountains to starve, poor fellows. God be kind to them,

God be good to them," he half sobbed, his chin dropping to his

breast. He was trembling like a leaf.

"Starve?" she whispered. "Have they no money?"

"We are penniless," came in muffled tones from the stricken leader.

Beverly leaned from the window and called to the departing ones. Ravone

and one other reluctantly approached. Without a word she opened a small

traveling bag and drew forth a heavy purse. This she pressed into the

hand of the student. It was filled with Graustark gavvos, for which she

had exchanged American gold in Russia.

"God be with you," she fervently cried. He kissed her hand, and the two

stood aside to let the coach roll on into the dusky shadows that

separated them from the gates of Ganlook, old Franz still driving--the

only one of the company left to serve his leader to the very end.

"Well, we have left them," muttered Baldos, as though to himself. "I may

never see them again--never see them again. God, how true they have

been!"

"I shall send for them the moment I get to Ganlook and I'll promise

pardons for them all," she cried rashly, in her compassion.

"No!" he exclaimed fiercely. "You are not to disturb them. Better that

they should starve."

Beverly was sufficiently subdued. As they drew nearer the city gates her

heart began to fail her. This man's life was in her weak, incapable

hands and the time was nearing when she must stand between him and

disaster.

"Where are these vaunted soldiers of yours?" he suddenly asked, infinite

irony in his voice.

"My soldiers?" she said faintly.

"Isn't it rather unusual that, in time of trouble and uncertainty, we

should be able to approach within a mile of one of your most important

cities without even so much as seeing a soldier of Graustark?"

She felt that he was scoffing, but it mattered little to her.

"It is a bit odd, isn't it?" she agreed.

"Worse than that, your highness."

"I shall speak to Dangloss about it," she said serenely, and he looked

up in new surprise. Truly, she was an extraordinary princess.

Fully three-quarters of an hour passed before the coach was

checked. Beverly, looking from the windows, had seem the lighted windows

of cottages growing closer and closer together. The barking of roadside

dogs was the only sound that could be heard above the rattle of the

wheels. It was too dark inside the coach to see the face of the man

beside her, but something told her that he was staring intently into the

night, alert and anxious. The responsibility of her position swooped

down upon her like an avalanche as she thought of what the next few

minutes were to bring forth. It was the sudden stopping of the coach and

the sharp commands from the outside that told her probation was at an

end. She could no longer speculate; it was high time to act.




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