the queen of asturia was back again surely enough, smiling as if she had not a trouble in the world. lady merehaven was listening to what she had to say.
"i found that i had to return," she was murmuring. "i am searching for a will-o'-the-wisp. i was told that i should find him at the duchess of norton's, but he had been called away from there. there was a case needing his urgent attention at charing cross hospital. i was told that subsequent to that matter my will-o'-the-wisp was coming on here positively. have you seen dr. varney?"
lady merehaven had not seen the distinguished physician, but he had certainly promised to look in at merehaven house in the course of the evening. despite his position and his many affairs, dr. varney was a man who prided himself upon keeping his social engagements, and he was certain to appear. it seemed to jessie that the queen seemed to be relieved about something. she had never ceased to smile, but there was an expression of sudden fierce gladness in her eyes. as she looked up her glance took in jessie. there was a quick signal, the uplifting of a bouquet, and that was all.
but jessie understood that the queen wanted to speak to her without delay. the opportunity came presently, for lady merehaven was called away, leaving a pompous old diplomat to wait on the[73] queen. it was an easy matter to send him in quest of lemonade, and then as the bouquet was lifted again, jessie crossed over rapidly to the side of the queen.
"tell me all that has happened," she commanded swiftly, fiercely almost, though the smile never left her face. she might have been discussing the most trivial of topics. "i was called away; i had to go. i am at the beck and call of people like a footman."
"you have not seen or heard anything, madame?" jessie asked.
"did i not tell you so? forgive my temper, but i am harassed and worried to death. is everything going all right?"
"up to the present, madame," jessie proceeded to explain. "it was unfortunate that the blind in the room upstairs was not pulled down. i had a warning about that, so i proceeded to the bedroom. general maxgregor was giving those drops to the king, out of the little bottle——"
"yes, yes. and were they all administered? heaven forgive me for asking the question, but i think that had i been in general maxgregor's place, i——but i talk nonsense. were they all——?"
"every one of them. i administered the last few drops myself. i had to, for the simple reason that general maxgregor was wounded. the blind was up, and somebody shot at the general from the garden, from the high terrace at the end of the garden."
"ah! well, it is only what i expected, after all. the general—was he badly hit?"
"in the shoulder. he said it was only a flesh wound, but evidently he was in great pain. you see, after that the general had to go away at once. at my suggestion he changed clothes with the king,[74] and i managed to get him away, all staggering and ill as he was, by way of the garden."
"you are a brave and true friend—god bless you! but there was the danger of being followed, vera."
"i thought of that. there were two hansoms in the lane, and i put the supposed king into one of them and gave the cabman the address of the general's lodgings. as i expected, somebody appeared and attempted to obtain the use of the other cab, but i was too quick for the foe. i gave the cabman money and told him to drive on as if he carried a fare, and the spy was baffled."
"wonderful! i shall never forget your service to me and to asturia. what was the man like who——"
"it was not a man at all, madame," jessie proceeded to explain. "it was a woman. she was tall and fair, and exceedingly beautiful. i should not have any difficulty in recognizing her again."
the queen expressed her satisfaction, nor did she seem in the least surprised to find that the spy was a woman.
"i am very sorry about the accident to the general," she said thoughtfully. "but it only tends to show you what we have to guard against. i must go to the general as soon as possible. he may be very ill."
"i have already sent," jessie said. "to a great extent i had to confide in somebody. i told my friend captain ronald hope all that was necessary, and he is on his way to the general's now. captain hope is also a great friend of general maxgregor, and is, i know, very anxious to find a post in the asturian army. perhaps your majesty may know him?"
the queen smiled and nodded. evidently the name of ronald was quite familiar to her. then she went on to ask after the health of the king. her face changed to a bitter smile as jessie proceeded to say what she had done in that direction.
"i shall know how to act in the future," the queen said, "once the crisis is over. but there are people waiting to talk to me, and who are wondering why i am wasting my time on a mere girl like you when i have the privilege of their society. if they only knew!"
jessie passed on, feeling that she was dismissed for the present. she wandered aimlessly into the garden; there was a good deal of noise and laughter going on behind the terrace. the little door leading to the lane was open, and from the far side came the hiss of a motor.
"have you come to join the fun, vera?" a girl who was a total stranger to jessie asked. "we are having larks on pongo's motor-car. but now that you have come pongo will have eyes for nobody else."
jessie wondered who pongo was, and whether any tender passages had passed between him and miss galloway. possibly not, for vera was not the class of girl who made herself a familiar footing with the type of young man who allows himself to be christened by so characteristic a name.
"doin' it for a charity," a typical johnny drawled as the car pulled up. jessie recognized the bond street type of rich fool who is flattered for his money. "get in, miss vera. take you as far as piccadilly and back for a shilling. society for lost dogs, you know."
jessie promptly accepted the offer, for a wild,[76] brilliant scheme had come into her head. the motor flashed along before there was time for anybody else to get in.
"not as far as piccadilly," jessie said. "only to the end of the lane and back. i can't stay at present, pongo. but if i come back presently, do you think you could get rid of the others and take me as far as charing cross hospital? it's for the sake of a bet, you know."
pongo, whose other name jessie had not the slightest idea of, grinned with pleasure. the more ridiculous the thing, the more it appealed to his peculiar nature. he would keep his car at the end of the lane and wait for miss galloway an hour if necessary. the mention of his pet name and the flash from jessie's eyes had utterly overcome him.
"anything you like," he said. "streets quiet, and all that; take you to charing cross and back before you could say jack robinson, don't you know. only i'd like to make the journey slow, don't you know."
jessie laughed a response to the meaningless chatter of her companion. she was going to do a foolish and most certainly a desperate thing, but there was no help for it. back in the house again she could see a little man with a fine head and a grey beard talking to the queen. there was no need to tell jessie that this was doctor varney, for she knew the great physician well by sight. she was going to speak to him presently and get an order, late as it was, for her to see a patient in the hospital. she knew quite well that it was no use her trying to get into the big establishment at that hour without a special permit, and it would be no fault of hers if that permit did not emanate from dr. varney.
the little man's powerful voice boomed out, but ever and again it was dropped at some quiet question from the queen. presently the doctor moved on in the direction of jessie. she assumed that he would probably know miss vera galloway quite well, and she made up her mind to address him as a friend of the family. but there were other people first who claimed the doctor's attention—a cabinet minister, who had a question or two to put on the score of his personal health, so that it was some little time before jessie obtained her chance. even then the appearance of lady merehaven delayed the operation.
"positively, my dear lady, i must apologize for being so late," the doctor said. "but there was a little matter claiming my attention at charing cross hospital, an operation that one does not get every day, and one that would brook no delay. but i got here as soon as possible. sad thing about your niece."
"why, what is the matter with my niece?" lady merehaven demanded. "my niece!"
the doctor looked as surprised as his hostess. there was a grave expression on his fine face.
"miss vera galloway," he said. "managed to get run over by a cab. but you must know all about that. nothing serious, really; but the loss of her pleasant face here, and the knowledge that she takes no part in the festivities of the evening, is rather distressing. but she seems quite cheerful."
"dr. varney," lady merehaven cried, "positively, i know nothing of what you are talking about."
jessie crept away and hid herself discreetly behind one of the big palms in the hall. what was coming now?
