The Chancellor went out, rubbing his hands with delight.
Chapter XVIII
The Veteran of the Forest Entertains Two Very Young People
Do you remember the day when the Princess Hyacinth and Wiggs sat upon the castle walls and talked of Udo's coming? The Princess thought he would be dark, and Wiggs thought he would be fair, and he was to have the Purple Room—or was it the Blue?—and anyhow he was to put the Countess in her place and bring happiness to Euralia. That seemed a long time ago to Hyacinth now, as once more she sat on the castle walls with Wiggs.
She was very lovely. She longed to get rid of that "outside help in our affairs" which she had summoned so recklessly. They were two against one now. Belvane actively against her was bad enough; but Belvane in the background with Udo as her mouthpiece—Udo specially asked in to give the benefit of his counsel—this was ten times worse.
"What do you do, Wiggs?" she asked, "when you are very lonely and nobody loves you?"
"Dance," said Wiggs promptly.
"But if you don't want to dance?"
Wiggs tried to remember those dark ages (about a week ago) when she couldn't dance.
"I used to go into the forest," she said, "and sit under my own tree, and by and by everybody loved you."
"I wonder if they'd love me."
"Of course they would. Shall I show you my special tree?"
"Yes, but don't come with me; tell me where it is. I want to be unhappy alone."
So Wiggs told her how you followed her special path, which went in at the corner of the forest, until by and by the trees thinned on either side, and it widened into a glade, and you went downhill and crossed the brook at the bottom and went up the other side until it was all trees again, and the first and the biggest and the oldest and the loveliest was hers. And you turned round and sat with your back against it, and looked across to where you'd come from, and then you knew that everything was all right.
"I shall find it," said Hyacinth, as she got up. "Thank you, dear."
She found it, she sat there, and her heart was very bitter at first against Udo and against Belvane, and even against her father for going away and leaving her; but by and by the peace of the place wrapped itself around her, and she felt that she would find a way out of her difficulties somehow. Only she wished that her father would come back, because he loved her, and she felt that it would be nice to be loved again.
"It is beautiful, isn't it?" said a voice from behind her.
She turned suddenly, as a tall young man stepped out from among the trees.
"Oh, who are you, please?" she asked, amazed at his sudden appearance. His dress told her nothing, but his face told her things which she was glad to know.
"My name," he said, "is Coronel."
"It is a pretty name."
"Yes, but don't be lead away by it. It belongs to nobody very particular. Do you mind if I sit down? I generally sit down here about this time."
"Oh, do you live in the forest?"
"I have lived here for the last week." He gave her a friendly smile, and added, "You're late, aren't you?"
"Late?"
"Yes, I've been expecting you for the last seven days."
"How did you know there was any me at all?" smiled Hyacinth.
With a movement of his hand Coronel indicated the scene in front of him.
"There had to be somebody for whom all this was made. It wanted somebody to say thank you to it now and then."
"Haven't you been doing that all this week?"
"Me? I wouldn't presume. No, it's your glade, and you've neglected it shamefully."
"There's a little girl who comes here," said Hyacinth. "I wonder if you have seen her?"
Coronel turned away. There were secret places in his heart into which Hyacinth could not come—yet.
"She danced," he said shortly.
There was silence between them for a little, but a comfortable silence, as if they were already old friends.
"You know," said Hyacinth, looking down at him as he lay at her feet, "you ought not to be here at all, really."
"I wish I could think that," said Coronel. "I had a horrible feeling that duty called me here. I love those places where one really oughtn't to be at all, don't you?"
"I love being here," sighed Hyacinth. "Wiggs was quite right." Seeing him look up at her she added, "Wiggs is the little girl who dances, you know."
"She would be right," said Coronel, looking away from her.
Hyacinth felt strangely rested. It seemed that never again would anything trouble her; never again would she have only her own strength to depend upon. Who was he? But it did not matter. He might go away and she might never see him again, but she was no longer afraid of the world.
"I thought," she said, "that all the men of Euralia were away fighting."
"So did I," said Coronel.
"What are you, then? A Prince from a distant country, an enchanter, a spy sent from Barodia, a travelling musician?—you see, I give you much to choose from."
"You leave me nothing to be but what I am—Coronel."
"And I am Hyacinth."
He knew, of course, but he made no sign.
"Hyacinth," he said, and he held out his hand.
"Coronel," she answered as she took it.
The brook chuckled to itself as it hurried past below them.
Hyacinth got up with a little sigh of contentment.
"Well, I must be going," she said.
"Must you really be going?" asked Coronel. "I wasn't saying good–bye, you know."
"I really must."
"It's a surprising thing about the view from here," said Coronel, "that it looks just as nice to–morrow. To–morrow about the same time."
"That's a very extraordinary thing," smiled Hyacinth.
"Yes, but it's one of those things that you don't want to take another person's word for."
"You think I ought to see for myself? Well, perhaps I will."
"Give me a whistle if I happen to be passing," said Coronel casually, "and tell me what you think. Good–bye, Hyacinth."
"Good–bye, Coronel."
She nodded her head confidently at him, and then turned round and went off daintily down the hill.
Coronel stared after her.
"What is Udo doing?" he murmured to himself. "But perhaps she doesn't like animals. A whole day to wait. How endless!"
If he had known that Udo, now on two legs again, was at that moment in Belvane's garden, trying to tell her, for the fifth time that week, about his early life in Araby, he would have been still more surprised.
We left Coronel, if you remember, in Araby. For three or four days he remained there, wondering how Udo was getting on, and feeling more and more that he ought to do something about it. On the fourth day he got on to his horse and rode off again. He simply must see what was happening. If Udo wanted to help, then he would be there to give it; if Udo was all right again, then he could go comfortably back to Araby.
To tell the truth, Coronel was a little jealous of his friend. A certain Prince Perivale, who had stayed at his uncle's court, had once been a suitor for Hyacinth's hand; but losing a competition with the famous seven–headed bull of Euralia, which Merriwig had arranged for him, had made no further headway with his suit. This Prince had had a portrait of Hyacinth specially done for him by his own Court Painter, a portrait which Coronel had seen. It was for this reason that he had at first objected to accompanying Udo to Euralia, and it was for this reason that he persuaded himself very readily that the claims of friendship called him there now.
For the last week he had been waiting in the forest. Now that he was there, he was not quite sure how to carry out his mission. So far there had been no sign of Udo, either on four legs or on two; it seemed probable that unless Coronel went to the Palace and asked for him, there would be no sign. And if he went to the Palace, and Udo was all right, and the Princess Hyacinth was in love with him, then the worst would have happened. He would have to stay there and help admire Udo—an unsatisfying prospect to a man in love. For he told himself by this time that he was in love with Hyacinth, although he had never seen her.