“Delusions!” cried the Premier furiously. “The delusion is on your side, Count, if you think you will turn me from my purpose. You have had your explanation. Now the rest of the Ministry shall have it.”
“Very well. I gave you a door of escape; but if you will take your punishment fighting, you will. Allow me to lay before you a little story—shall we call it a hypothesis, or a concatenation of facts? I am sure that a person of your penetration never imagined that I should tamely accept the consequences of such an accusation as this. Picture to yourself the feelings of the Cabinet when they hear the converse of your account—when they hear that you had conceived the idea of marrying the Queen, and thus securing the regency for yourself; that you had gone so far as to sound the Powers on the subject; that, finding them wanting in enthusiasm for the idea, you suggested it to the Queen, hoping to secure her influence on your side. Her Majesty rejected the idea with contemptuous displeasure, and it was necessary then to find a scapegoat on whom the blame could be laid, so far as the Powers are concerned. You fix upon a colleague of whom you are anxious to be rid, and you try to hound him out of the country by means of this precious tale!”
“The whole idea is absurd,” said M. Drakovics faintly.
“Excuse me, it is no more absurd than your own. I also can produce evidence quite as good as yours, if you drive me to it. If looks are to be counted as proofs, many people will be able to depose that the Queen has looked at you with dislike. Your correspondence with the Powers, undertaken on your own initiative, is another link in the chain, for you don’t expect any sane person to believe that you made these disinterested inquiries on my behalf. Then I can show that after a stormy interview with her Majesty you made this charge against me——”
“How do you know that it was stormy?” was the helpless question.
“I was not sure of it, but you have confessed that it was so. You intended to blacken that unfortunate woman’s name for the sake of getting rid of me, did you? I will blacken yours to some purpose if you try it on.”
“I had never any intention of saying anything against her Majesty.”
“Only to publish throughout Europe that she was in love with me? But if you attempt to do it, I’ll make Thracia too hot to hold you; and if anything happens to me, my executors will see that things are put right.”
“There is no question of publishing anything. You and your Queen may feel at ease on that subject, Count.”
“If you say anything of that kind again, I will denounce you forthwith. You are living over a powder-mine, Drakovics. I am silent as long as you are, but not a moment longer. Tell me, do you believe that ridiculous tale of yours?”