“I don’t understand this, Hurst. I don’t understand it a bit. One moment I feel that he is no Comte, at another that there may be something in what you say. But just now I can think of nothing but de la Seine not being in his room. Bah! He cannot have taken to flight, thinking that I have discovered who he is; but we must find out that.”
At this moment the King was passing along the centre of the gallery devoted to the priceless treasures of his collection, to which Carrbroke had so proudly directed the young French visitor’s attention, when his foot came suddenly in contact with something which he sent flying along the polished oaken boards, the object making a musical metallic sound.
“What’s that?” cried the King sharply; and the chamberlain started forward into the gloom close beneath one of the windows, to pick up after a moment’s search what proved on being held up to the light to be a beautiful little golden cup covered with such repoussé work as would most likely have been placed there by some Italian artist of the Benvenuto Cellini type.
A faint cry of wonder escaped the chamberlain’s lips.
“A golden cup!” exclaimed the King, as he leaned over to gaze at the little object. “How comes that there? Why, Hurst, that little tazza should be in the big cabinet yonder, where the French jewel lies. Quick! Here.”
The King turned sharply and hurried back to the centre of the gallery where the great cabinet stood, to find it on the two sides he examined perfectly intact; but the other two sides of the big ornamental piece of furniture fell to the chamberlain’s examination, and he was so startled by the discovery he made that he remained silent and stood there with his lips compressed.
“Nothing here, Hurst,” cried the King, in less excited tones. “It must have been my fancy; it cannot be the cup I mean. You see nothing?”
“Will your Majesty look here?” said the chamberlain gravely.
“Hah!” cried the King, and he joined his follower on the other side, to utter an ejaculation full of the rage he felt, for dim as the gallery was, light enough came through the window opposite to which the cabinet stood to show that one of the doors had been wrenched open; some of the drawers within were half unclosed, while several little objects that had evidently been dropped in haste were upon the floor.
“Robbery! Pillage!” cried the King angrily. “They must have been disturbed in their act of plunder, whoever it was, and—and—hah!” he raged out, as he snatched up a case that was lying open. “Look here, Hurst; this tells the tale. Do you know it?”