ce had done this for her, andshe had simply accepted it. Doubtless, wearied with praise and withpublicity and notoriety in all its popular forms, she was glad to getaway and hide herself for a while. Fortune had thrown in her way a manwho was manifestly ignorant of her very existence; and it was a pleasureto play with him at hide-and-seek!
It was, after all, an up-to-date story of the Princess in disguise; andI was the young man, all unknowing, with whom she had played.
Here a terrible doubt assailed me. Other Princesses had playedhide-and-seek; and, having had their sport, had vanished; leavingdesolation and an empty heart behind them. Was it possible that she toowas like this; that she had been all the while playing with me; thateven whilst she was being most gracious, she was taking steps tohide even her whereabouts from me? Here was I, who had even proposedmarriage; and yet who did not even know when or where I should see heragain--if indeed I should ever see her again at all. I could not believeit. I had looked into her eyes, and had seen the truth. Here was nowanton playing at bowls with men's hearts. My life upon her faith!
I seemed to have lost myself in a sort of trance. I was recalled from itby Cathcart, who seeing me in a reverie had gone over to the fireplaceand stood with his back to me, filling his pipe at the mantel-piece:
"I think I hear Adams coming. Pardon me, old fellow, but though I amsure he knows I have told you about Miss Drake, and though he probablymade an excuse for delay so that I might have an opportunity to do so,he wants to appear not to enter on the subject. He is _diplomat_ allover. Remember he is of the U. S. Embassy; and Miss Drake, as anAmerican citizen, is theoretically under his care in this foreigncountry. Let us be talking of something else when he comes in!" Sam camealong the passage softly whistling a bar of "Yankee Doodle." Cathcartnodded to me and whispered:
"I told you so! He takes good care that he may not surprise us." When hecame in we were talking of the prospects of the Autumn fishing on theDee.
When we left Cathcart's room, after a cigar, I, being somewhat tiredwith my long ride, went at once to my room. Adams came with me as far asthe door.
I was just getting into bed when I heard a slight tap at the door. Iunlocked it and found Adams without. He raised a warning hand, and saidin a whisper:
"May I come in? I want to say something very privately." More than evermystified--everything seemed a mystery now--I opened the door. He camein and I closed it softly and locked it.
CHAPTER XVII
SAM ADAMS'S TASK
Adams began at once: "Archie I want to tell you something; but it is inthe strictest confidence. You must promise me not to mention to any one,mind _any one_, what I say; or even that I have spoken to you on thesubject." I thought for a moment before replying. It flashed across methat what he had to say must concern Marjory, so I answered:
"I fear I cannot make such a promise, if the matter is regarding someone other than myself." A shade of annoyance passed across his face ashe said:
"Well, it is about some one else; but really you must trust me. I wouldnot for the world, old fellow, ask you to do anything that was notcorrect."
"I know that" I said "I know it right well; but you see it might beregarding some one with whom my relations might be peculiar--not fixedyou know. It might be necessary for me to speak. Perhaps not now; butlater on." I was stumbling blindly, so sought refuge in fact and query,"Tell me" I said "does it relate to Miss Drake?"
"It does; but I thought that you who are a friend of hers might like todo her a service."
"Of course I would." I answered. "There is nothing I would not do forher if it were in my power."
"Except hold your tongue!" he said with a touch of bitterness unusualwith him. I could see that anxious as I was to hear he was still moreanxious to tell me; so I was able to keep my temper and not make mattersworse by answering back sarcastically. I said:
"Yes, old chap, even by holding my tongue. If I could see that I wouldbenefit her by holding my tongue, or by cutting out my tongue, I woulddo it. What I must refuse is to _promise_ to hold my tongue. Come, oldfellow, don't put me in a wrong position. You don't know all that I do,or exactly how I am placed. Why don't you trust me? I am willing topromise that I won't speak at all of the matter unless it be necessary;and that I won't speak at all in any case of having been told anythingby you." He brightened up at once and said:
"All right, then we can drive on. I take it that since we metlast"--that was a few minutes ago, but he was a diplomatist--"you havelearned more about Miss Drake, or rather of her history and her positionand importance, than you knew at that time?"
"Yes," I answered, and I could not help smiling.
"Then we needn't go into that. We take facts for granted. Well, thatfine act of hers--you know what I mean--has brought her, or may bringher, a peck of trouble. There are, or there were, a certain lot ofSpaniards--Copperheads--at home who look on her as a sort of embodimentof the American antagonism to their own nation. They are the low lot;for mind you, though we are at war with them I say it, the good Spaniardis a fine fellow. It came to the ears of the authorities in Washingtonthat there was some sort of plot on foot to do her a harm. The SecretService was a little at fault, and couldn't get accurate or fullinformation; for naturally enough the Spaniards didn't trust any butthemselves in such a matter. We know enough, however, to be somewhatconcerned for her; and it was arranged that a secret watch should bekept on her, so that no harm should come that could be prevented. Theproper men had been detailed off for the work; when to our surprise, anda little to our consternation, it turned out that the young lady haddisappeared. We knew of course that her going was voluntary; she hadleft word to that effect, so that there might not be any bother madeabout her. But the trouble was that she did not know of the danger whichthreatened her; and as our people didn't know where she was, no stepcould be taken to protect or warn her. It is clear that my lady gottired of fireworks and of the Joan of Arc business, and bolted. It wasconsidered necessary at headquarters that we should in the meantime allkeep our heads shut. But we were advised at the Embassy in London thatthe plot was on, and that we should hump ourselves a bit to look afterher in case she was in England. The matter was handed over to me, and Ihave been on the run ever since; but I have not been able to hear taleor tiding of her. Two days ago we got a cable in our cipher which toldus that, from information received and the rest of it, they suspectedshe was in England, or probably in Scotland; and that there was laterevidence that the plot was more active than ever. Unfortunately we haveas yet no details, and not even a clue. That is why I am here. I camedown with Cathcart, who fortunately was bound for the North, as itcovered up my purpose. I have been in a regular stew for days past.Marjory Drake is too good to have any trouble come to her that anyAmerican can help. You can imagine my delight when I saw her thisevening; for now that I have located her, I can take steps to look afterher safety if necessary. You two went so fast on your wheels that I lostyou at the Bridge; but I surmised that you would be coming here anyhowafter your ride. So I came up as quickly as I could, and saw you two andthe old lady come up from the railway station. I couldn't get to seeMiss Drake to-night; but I expect to look her up pretty early in themorning."
Here was a new entanglement. It seemed to me as more than likelythat Marjory, having seen Adams and knowing his diplomatic position,suspected some interference with her liberty, and made an escape atonce. This, then, was the reason why she had asked me to stay and eatdinner alone; I was to cover up her tracks and secure her a night'sdelay. Thus, even to Adams, my tongue was tied as to her movements. Idid not wish to seem to deceive him, so avoided the subject. In answerto him I asked:
"But tell me, old fellow, how and where do I come into your story? Whydo you tell me this?" He answered very gravely:
"Because I want your help. This is, or rather may be, a very seriousmatter to Miss Drake. The whole business is entrusted by our governmentto my chief, who has detailed me on the service. It is of so delicateand secret a nature that I cannot make confidence with many people, andI am loth to trust any one but a gentleman. Besides Miss Drake is a verypeculiar girl. She is absolutely independent, thoroughly determined, andmore than plucky. If she knew there was a plot on foot, as likely as notshe would try to encourage it out of mere recklessness; and would tryto counterplot all by herself. Her enemies know this, and will availthemselves of every chance and of every false move of hers; so that shemight help to work out herself the evil intended for her. This we cannotpermit; and I am quite sure that you, who are a friend of hers, are atone with me here. Now, if you want to know exactly how you can help Iwill tell you; and you will, I am sure, pardon me if I say too much--ortoo little. If she were to know that the matter of her protection wasa Government one, nothing on earth would make her yield herself to ourviews. But if it were suggested by a--a friend whom she--she valued, heraction would probably be quite the opposite. She is a girl all heart andsoul. When she is taken rightly you can lead her with a thread; but youcan't drag her with gun-ropes. From what I saw yesterday, I am inclinedto think that you might have more influence with her than any one else Icould pick out."
I could not say anything to this, either positive or negative, so Iremained silent. He went on:
"There is one other reason why I ask you to help, but it is secondary tothe other one, believe me, and one I only use to fortify a better one.I ask you as an old friend to help me in a matter which, even if youare not concerned in it, may be of the utmost importance to me in mydiplomatic career. This matter has been placed in my hands, and it wouldnot do for me to fail. There is not much +kudos+ to be got out of it ifall be well--except with my immediate chiefs; but if I failed it wouldgo far against me. If Marjory Drake should suffer from this Spanishplot, she who had, so to speak, fired the torch of the nation in thewar, it would be formal, official ruin to me. There wouldn't be a manfrom Maine to California, from the Lakes to the Gulf, who wouldn't lookon me as an imbecile, or worse!" Whilst he was speaking I was thinking,and trying to make up my mind as to what I should do. Manifestly, Icould not tell him of the dawning relations between Marjory and myself.I was not yet prepared to speak of the Pope's treasure. I could not inhonour give away Marjory's confidence in me in asking me to cover up herescape, or the implied promise of my acceptance of it. Still, Adams'sconfidence required some measure of frankness from me. His last appealto me as an old friend to help him as an individual in an importantwork, which might mar i
f it could not make him, demanded that I shouldstretch every point I could in his favour. So I said:
"Sam, I shall do all I honestly or honourably can. But I must ask youto wait a while and trust me. The fact is I am not at liberty just atpresent to turn any way I choose. I am already committed to certainconfidences, which were made before I saw you or had any knowledge ofwhat you tell me. Moreover, I am in certain ways ignorant in mattersthat you would not expect. I shall at once take every step I can to bein a position to speak to you more freely. I am more deeply stirred, oldfellow, by what you have told me than I can say; and out of the depthsof my heart I am grateful to you and your Government for your care forMiss Anita--Miss Drake. I may say this, that until to-morrow at allevents, I am unable to help you in any possible way. Were I to try to doanything till a certain thing happens, it would hinder rather than helpyour purpose. So wait patiently and do please try to understand me."
He replied with unwonted sarcasm: