“Moore is a wonder,” Armand commented—and broke off, as the Duke came into view and sat down at his table.
But Lotzen was in no haste to unwrap the package; he drew it over and slowly loosed the cords, then suddenly laid it aside, and coming over to the window, seemed on the point of drawing the shade; but he changed his mind, and after staring into the garden and toward Mrs. Spencer’s apartments, he returned to the table.
Without more ado he removed the black cloth, but pushed it in a heap, so that it hid the book—that it was a book, they could distinguish, but nothing else—and went to examining some papers he took from it.
The Princess stirred restlessly; her nerves were not attuned to such tension; and the Archduke reassured her by a touch and a word. Over at their window, Mrs. Spencer and Colonel Moore were whispering, and laughing softly, the latter, however, with a wary eye across the courtyard. The swinging cadence of a Strauss waltz came, brokenly, from the orchestra still playing in the great hall, with, now and then, a burst of men’s voices in noisy hilarity from the card rooms or the main guard.
Presently the Duke put down the papers, and, pushing aside the black cloth, disclosed the back of the book—black, with heavy brass hinge-bands across it.
“Look,” the Princess exclaimed, “look! it’s very like it—why doesn’t he lift the cover ... there!—see, the pages, too!—it must be!—it is!—it——”
“Run away, girl!” came Count Bigler’s voice from the corridor, “run away, I say—you’re pretty enough, but I want your mistress now.” There was a moment’s scuffle, and the door swung back——“Dark! well, ‘let there be light!’” and he snapped the switch.
It all was done so quickly and unexpectedly that Mrs. Spencer was caught half way to the door, as she sprang to lock it; Armand had time only to push the Princess away from the window and step in front of her; while Colonel Moore, with De Coursey and Marsov, tried to get across to cover the Archduke.
But they failed. Bigler saw him instantly.
“The American!” he shouted, “the American!” and wrenching back the door, he disappeared down the corridor.