“It was not. You were repaying to me all the humiliations I have ever inflicted upon you. I saw it in your eyes.”
“Upon my honour, madame, the step was more painful to me than to your Majesty, but it was necessary to save the situation.”
“At my expense. Oh, I have put myself into your power, Count, I know that. But I did not expect——”
Her voice failed again, and Fräulein von Staubach cast a beseeching glance at Cyril, to which he responded instantly:
“If I may not have the honour of assisting you, madame, I will fetch the charcoal-burner; but you cannot stay here all night. Old Minics is rather grimy, but if you prefer his help to mine——”
Without a word the Queen took his arm, and he piloted her the rest of the way. Once arrived at the hut, she was too much exhausted to do more than partake of the soup and black bread which the host had prepared, and then sit leaning against the wall of the hut while Fräulein von Staubach made the best she could, with the aid of the rugs, of the primitive arrangements for the night. When the little King had been carried indoors, and the two ladies had also retired, Cyril and his host sat outside by the fire, smoking. The charcoal-burner had accepted, out of politeness, one of his guest’s cigars; but it was evident that he preferred his own clay pipe and coarse tobacco, to which he betook himself with zest as soon as he had finished it. Under ordinary circumstances, Cyril would have welcomed this divergence of tastes, since his remaining cigars were now very few in number; but to-night he felt too much depressed to be comforted even by tobacco, and he smoked on moodily until a hand was laid upon his shoulder, and he turned to find Fräulein von Staubach stooping over him.
“I wanted to ask you whether you were intending that we should continue our journey to-morrow, Count?” she said.
“I had thought of it, Fräulein; but you must surely know that I should not venture to recommend any plan of my own in opposition to the slightest wish of her Majesty. Her knowledge of affairs——”
“You are piqued, Count, and you speak with unnecessary sarcasm. Her Majesty is asleep, and has no idea that I am consulting you; but the fact is that she is quite incapable of performing a farther march without rest. Her feet are so fearfully blistered that I cannot imagine how she succeeded in getting here at all. Every step must have been agony to her.”
“It would be quite possible to rest to-morrow, Fräulein. The people would have more leisure to stare at us if we travelled on Sunday, and we might find it difficult to obtain food. By all means inform her Majesty that you will not leave the valley until Monday morning.”