“It will make the people more convinced that England is on our side; I am glad of it for that.”
“You seem determined to encourage these false hopes. My sole idea is to lay the actual state of things before Essiter,—not that it will make the slightest difference in his action. If the Powers decide that we are to be bombarded, he will do his part without turning a hair. But he will report our conversation to his Government, and those of the Emathians who survive the fighting and the massacres may have an easier time. They may not get me as Governor-General, but they will get some one who is not in bondage to Czarigrad.”
“They must have you as Governor-General,” said Eirene doggedly.
“Not necessarily, even if we succeed. There is Christodoridi.”
“He is nothing. I have taken no oath to him. Listen, Maurice. For the sake of Constantine’s rights I have opposed you—broken up our home, as you say. Do you think I would deal more kindly with that upstart Romanos? Let him look to himself. If he succeeds, as you call it, and you tamely abdicate your rights in his favour, don’t imagine that I shall also be tame, and retire meekly with you to Stone Acton. I shall intrigue, plot, inspire. I have the means, you know. I must and will see my boy either Prince or Hereditary Prince of Emathia before I die. I should prefer to see him Hereditary Prince, and you in your rightful place upon the throne, but if you won’t work with me, I shall work alone.”
“These are things it is not wise to say,” said Maurice, very pale. “Are you prepared to bring upon the little chap—an innocent child—the guilt of all the bloodshed and civil war that you propose?”
“No, no!” she cried quickly. “The guilt will be mine, and the punishment. Only the success will be his.”
CHAPTER XI.
THE SYMPATHY OF EUROPE.
A guard of twelve stalwart Emathians, armed with the European rifles, escorted the party from Hagiamavra through the hills to Skandalo the next day. Mr Suter, his eyes again bandaged as a precaution against his possible return to guide an invading force through the wilds, was in high spirits over the important part assigned to him as intermediary between the fleet and the insurgent stronghold. He rode next to Zoe, and talked unceasingly whenever the nature of the path allowed it, explaining, among other things, why Admiral Essiter was called “Point Seven,” an explanation which involved the further explanation of a recondite question of naval gunnery. When the riders came abreast of the refugee camp the midshipman’s eyes were unbound, and he rode proudly into the town, attended by one of the guards, and big with importance, though refusing to explain either his night’s absence on shore or his present errand, obtained a passage back to the fleet in one of the Magniloquent’s boats, which had come on shore for fresh meat. The rest followed more slowly, and established themselves in Dr Terminoff’s office, the house of the chief man of the place, to watch what would follow. Dr Terminoff was delighted at the prospect of their visiting the fleet, though for the same perverse reason as Eirene, and declared exultingly that Nilischeff and his party would find themselves altogether checkmated.
“A boat putting off from the Magniloquent!” announced Wylie, who had been watching the flagship through his glasses. “A highly superior boat, too.”