The Strange Story of Rab Ráby Read online

  CHAPTER III.

  A genuinely welcome guest does not take his leave at nightfall; theprefect's visitors therefore put off their departure till the next day,for the evening before they had sat long at the card-table, whereat theprefect had won back from his guests, and that to the last kreutzer, allthat it had cost to entertain them.

  Fraulein Fruzsinka had played cards till daylight. She had at first noluck whatever, willing as she was by some slight cheating, to bring it,but since her fellow-players were ready to let a pretty girl have herway, she won at last ten ducats. Mr. Laskoy, however, lost the whole ofhis salary. But the money would at least be restored to him, for it wasthe custom that whoever won most must refund the president his lostmoney, in view of the possible wrath of that important official. Themaster of the house smuggled the ten ducats through Fraulein Fruzsinka,into the president's hand.

  "Take care," laughed the girl, "Gyongyom Miska does not rob you on theway."

  "I shall hide it where no one can find it, in the lining of my cap.There it will be safe enough. Besides, Gyongyom Miska is just nowprowling about the county of Somogy. Captain Lievenkopp himself, withall his dragoons, would hardly succeed in driving him into ourneighbourhood."

  "Ah, well, I only say, look after your gold pieces!"

  The president laughed contemptuously. Lievenkopp was, it was well known,one of Fraulein Fruzsinka's admirers.

  The president and the judge drove together as far as the next poststation, where their ways parted, and meantime chatted amicably.

  "Isn't our hostess a charming person?" began the president as they leftthe inn.

  "I don't say she isn't."

  "I must admit you certainly show your good taste in that quarter."

  "Surely only like any other?"

  "Come, come, what avails evasion? When I look into the fair lady's eyesI don't see the expression there, you do. Can you deny it?"

  "Well, and if I have looked into her eyes, what of it?"

  "Oh, we know all about that. Everyone knows that you and the lady of thehouse were carrying on a flirtation whilst the sessions were going on."

  "Did I flirt?"

  "Most emphatically you did. I know everything. Last night, when I wentto my room, I heard voices through the door of our hostess' boudoir. Iwaited in order to listen, and sure enough it was the prefect who washolding forth angrily about you against a shrill high-pitched voice,which was obviously that of your Fraulein Fruzsinka. Thereupon, the ladyretorted that there was an understanding between you, and that theaffair was quite serious."

  "Bah! As if I meant to marry every girl to whom I have made adeclaration," laughed the judge.

  "Aha, that would be quite as difficult to bring about as if FrauleinFruzsinka wished to marry all those who had courted her. It cuts bothways. Yet she is a charming girl! If she could only find some good manwho would marry her. Why not you, eh?"

  "Most certainly not. For if someone else marries her, I am certain thatshe will be true to me. But if I, and not anyone else, wed her, thensure enough she'll deceive me every day."

  "But if you don't mean to, then it were surely a great mistake, besidesa mere quibble of words, to leave in the fair lady's hands a pledge thatcould be legally produced as argument for the plaintiff."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Tut, tut. I haven't presided twenty years for nothing in criminal law;I understand what tokens mean. What happened in the little ante-room?What has the defendant to urge on his behalf?"

  "Why, I only superintended the carrying out of the law from the window."

  "And in the intervals taught your hostess how to conjugate the verb_amo_, to love, eh?"

  "Stated but not proven--but if it were so?"

  "Consequently, the lady may be justified in urging: 'If he really andtruly loves me, let him give me a love token, a lock of his hair.'"

  "Why not?"

  "Exactly--now you stand convicted! Need I remind you that you onlysought a pair of scissors to cut off a curl of your hair, and while youdid that, your lady-love registered the blows for you as your _locumtenens_. Yet you were giving the most dangerous blow of all to theguileless loving heart which beat under your gift, for FrauleinFruzsinka hid the curl in her locket, and when we came away, I noted howshe leaned out of the window and kissed the locket over and over again.Is the impeachment sufficient?"

  "No, I won't admit it is. It's based on a false premise. Up to the timewhen I went for the scissors, I grant you it was a sound one, but herethe facts alter. As I stood before the looking-glass, with the scissorsin my hand, who should come in but the Fraulein's' little black poodle,and as usual he put out his fore paws caressingly. Thereupon, abrilliant idea struck me. The hair curled as well round the poodle'sneck as it did on my head. No sooner said than done. The Fraulein wasn'tlooking; she was too busy with the sessions, so quickly nipping off asuperfluous curl from the dog's neck, I slipped it into my lady's softhand; into her locket it goes forthwith. But don't betray me! For if theFraulein knew it, she would poison us all at the next dinner."

  Mr. Valentine Laskoy was not given to groundless merriment, but hecould not fail to see the point of this jest; first that one of thedog's curly locks had been transferred to the locket, and secondly, thatit had been kissed with transport by the owner. And thereupon he burstinto such a guffaw of laughter that the horses thought it was a volcaniceruption, and began to shy and rear accordingly, so that the coachmanand the heyduke with him could not bring them to a standstill on thebridge before the post-house, and the passengers were all but sentflying from their seats. But at this point Mr. Laskoy had to get out toawait the companions he had left behind, who were coming on in thecoach.

  "But don't say a word to anyone," was the judge's parting injunction tohis companion.

  "Trust me! But, all the same, whenever I see a black poodle I shalllaugh at the thought."

  And off went the judge, for his time was up.

  At the bridge, where the roads branched off, Laskoy waited for the coachto come up.

  But what a time the coach was coming, to be sure! He could not imaginewhat had happened to it. It was past mid-day, his ever-growing hungermade the delay of the diligence all the more wearisome. But in spite ofit all, he waited patiently.

  At last the famous vehicle came in sight, but only slowly, although theroad was quite good. What could have happened?