"I repeat," said Maurice, "the situation is exceedingly droll.Iam not afraid of you, not a bit.I am not a man to be intimidated.You might have inferred as much by my willingness to accompany you here.I am alone with you.""It is true that you are alone with me," in a voice, which, though it did not alarm Maurice, caused him to rest less comfortably in his chair."In the first place, you know too much.""The knowledge was not of my own seeking.You will agree with me in that." He took a swallow of the cognac."However, since I am in the affair--""Well?"
"I'll see it to its end."
"Perhaps.We shall not cross purposes.When men plot as I do, they stop at nothing, not even at that infinitesimal minutiae called the spark of life.It becomes a matter of self-preservation.I am in too deep water; I must keep on.I can not now turn back; the first shore is too far away.""Even villainy has its inconveniences," Maurice observed.
"What do you call villainy?"
"An act in which a man accepts pay from one to ruin him for another.That is villainy, without a single saving grace, for you are a native neither of the kingdom nor the duchy.""That is plain language.You do not take into consideration the villain's motives.There may be certain ends necessary as his life's blood, which may be gained only by villainy, which, after all, is a hard name for political conspiracy.""Oh, I do not suppose you are worse than the majority.But it appeals to me as rather a small, unmanly game when your victims are a man who is dying and a girl who knows nothing of the world nor its treachery."An almost imperceptible smile passed over Beauvais's countenance.
"So her Highness has captured your sympathies?" with a shade of banter.
"I admit that; she would capture the sympathies of any man who has a good pair of eyes in his head.But you do not seem to be in favor just at present," banter for banter.
The Colonel studied the end of his cigar."What is to be your stand in this affair?""Neutral as possible, for the simple reason that I have passed my word to Madame; compulsorily, it is true; I shall abide by it.
That is not to say that my sympathies are not wholly with the Osians.Madame is a brilliant woman, resourceful, initiative;she has as many sides as a cut diamond; moreover, her cause is just.But I do not like the way she has gone about the recovery of her throne.She has broken, or will break, a fine honest heart; she tried to break another, but, not being above the pantry maid, the subject of her attention failed to appreciate the consideration."Beauvais laughed at this."You are very good company.Let me advise you to remain neutral.I wish you no harm.But if you change your mind and stand in my path--""Well, and if I stood in your path?"
"Pouf! you would vanish.O, I should not stoop to murder; that is a vulgar word and practice.I should place a sword in your hand and give you the preference of a gentleman's death.I see nothing to prevent me from carrying out that this very night,"with a nod toward the rapiers which hung from the opposite wall.
"You might be surprised at the result," said Maurice, stretching his legs."But at present I have no desire to quarrel with you, or to put your skill to a test.Once Madame gives me back my word, why, I do not say." He dipped his hand toward the ash-pan.
"Human nature is full of freaks.A man will commit all sorts of crimes, yet stand by his word.Not that I have committed any crimes against the ten commandments."And so they fenced.
"You picked up a rose to-night," said the Colonel.
"So I did." Maurice blew a puff of smoke into the chimneyplace and watched it sail upward and vanish."Moreover, I propose to keep it.Have you any objections?""Only this: her Highness intended the rose for me.""No, no, my friend," easily."She would not have laughed had you picked it up.""That is to say I lie?"
"It is," laconically.
There was no eluding a statement so bald as this.Beauvais sat upright."To call me a liar is a privilege which I extend to no man.""I did not call you a liar," undisturbed."You wrote it down yourself, and I simply agreed to it.A duel? Well, I shall not fight you.Dueling is obsolete, and it never demonstrated the right or wrong of a cause.Since my part in this affair is one of neutrality, and since to gain that knowledge was the object of your invitation, I will take my leave of you."He rose and looked at the porcelain clock.As he did so his gaze rested on a small photograph standing at the side of it.He scanned it eagerly.It was a face of dark Castilian beauty.He turned and looked at Beauvais long and earnestly.There was an answering gaze, an immobility of countenance.Maurice experienced a slight shock.The haze over his memory was dispersed.The whole scene, in which this man loomed in the foreground, came back vividly.
"Your stare, Monsieur, is annoying."
"I shouldn't wonder," replied Maurice, leaning against the mantel.
"Do me the honor to explain it."
Maurice, never dreaming of the trap, fell head foremost into it.
"I have traveled a good deal," he began."I have been--even to South America.""Ah!" This ejaculation expressed nothing.In fact, Beavais was smiling.There was a sinister something behind that smile, but Maurice was unobservant.
