“You are not to be frightened when you hear that I am worse, and you are not to attempt to see me. You may send to inquire, of course; but whatever the answer may be, you will know that the illness is nothing but a diplomatic one. If that makes you appear unsympathetic, it will be all the better for us.”
“You are very unkind,” she replied, with a dazzling smile to a woman who was holding up her child to see the Queen pass.
“I am talking business. Another thing is, that you must manage somehow to defer the acceptance of our resignations for three days from to-morrow. Make Stefanovics your messenger, and let him come and go between Drakovics and Mirkovics and the other four, trying to arrange a compromise. He may try the wildest schemes he can think of, but he must spin the matter out. If you come to an absolute deadlock, consult Paschics; he will communicate the difficulty to me, if it is possible. Only remember to do nothing definite for three days.”
“What are you going to do?” asked Ernestine, looking down the street.
“That I cannot tell you. All that you know is that for three days I shall be so ill as to be able to do nothing, and that I can see no one.”
“I think you might trust me a little more,” she said reproachfully.
CHAPTER XX.
IN QUEST OF THE WHEREWITHAL.
On reaching his own house, Cyril’s first act was to summon Paschics, who was now his secretary, and explain the situation to him very thoroughly, adding directions which were to be followed in case of the occurrence of various contingencies. When Paschics was primed as to his duties, Cyril unfolded his own plans.
“No doubt you have guessed by this time, Paschics, that I intend to be absent from Bellaviste while I am supposed to be ill in bed. Only yourself, the doctor, and Dietrich will be in the secret, and you must see that no one else discovers it. Take care that the blinds in my bedroom are kept down, for the Premier is very likely to try to spy on me from the window of one of the houses opposite. The Queen has expressed her intention of sending the Court doctor to attend me, and we shall be able to work the trick with him, for he and I are old friends. You will give out, of course, and the doctor will support it by bulletins, that the injury is far more serious than was at first supposed, and that I am in a very nervous and feverish state. I can see no one, and discuss no business; but if Prince Mirkovics and his friends are very persistent, you may allow yourself to be induced to consult me, and after a suitable interval bring them an answer from the notes I told you to take of what I have been saying since I came in. You understand?”
“Perfectly, your Excellency.”