Jennie Baxter, Journalist by Robert Barr

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"Very well," said the young man with exemplary obedience.

CHAPTER XX.

JENNIE CONVERSES WITH A YOUNG MAN SHE THINKS MUCH OF.

When the train started, they were seated together in a carriage far
forward.

"One of my failings," said the girl, "is to act first, and think
afterwards. I am sorry now that I asked you to send that telegram to the
Princess."

"Why?"

"Because I have a great deal to tell you, and perhaps you may wish to
withdraw from the rash engagement you have undertaken."

"A likely thing!" cried the ardent lover. "Indeed, Miss Princess, if you
think you can get rid of me as easily as all that, you are very much
mistaken."

"Well, I want to tell you why I did not allow you to resign."

Slowly she undid the large buttons of her jacket, then, taking it by
the lapel and holding it so that no one else could see, she drew partly
forth from the inside pocket the large envelope, until the stamp of the
Embassy was plainly visible. Lord Donal's eyes opened to their widest
capacity, and his breath seemed to stop.

"Great heavens!" he gasped at last, "do you mean to say _you_ have it?"

"Yes," she said, buttoning up her jacket again. "I robbed the robbers.
Listen, and I will tell you all that happened. But, first, are you
armed?"

"Yes," he replied, "I have a trumpery revolver in my pocket; little good
it did me last night."

"Very well, we shall be across the frontier by noon to-day. If the
Russian authorities find before that time how they have been checkmated,
and if they have any suspicion that I am the cause of it, is it not
likely that they will have me stopped and searched on some pretence or
other?" Lord Donal pondered for a moment. "They are quite capable of
it," he said; "but, Jennie, I will fight for you against the whole
Russian Empire, and somebody will get hurt if you are meddled with. The
police will hesitate, however, before interfering with a messenger from
the Embassy, or anyone in his charge in broad daylight on a crowded
train. We will not go back into that car, but stay here, where some of
our fellow-countrymen are."

"That is what I was going to propose," said Jennie. "And now listen to
the story I have to tell you, and then you will know exactly why I came
to Russia."

"Don't tell me anything you would rather not," said the young man
hurriedly.

"I would rather not, but it must be told," answered the girl.

The story lasted a long time, and when it was ended the young man cried
enthusiastically in answer to her question,--

"Blame you? Why, of course I don't blame you in the slightest. It wasn't
Hardwick who sent you here at all, but Providence. Providence brought us
together, Jennie, and my belief in it hereafter will be unshaken."

Jennie laughed a contented little laugh, and said she was flattered at
being considered an envoy of Providence.

"It is only another way of saying you are an angel, Jennie," remarked
the bold young man.

They crossed the frontier without interference, and, once in Germany,
Jennie took the object of so much contention and placed it in the hands
of her lover.

"There," she whispered, with a tiny sigh, for she was giving up the
fruits of her greatest achievement, "put that in your despatch box, and
see that it doesn't leave that receptacle until you reach London. I hope
the Russians will like the copy of the _Daily Bugle_ they find in their
envelope."

The two chatted together throughout the long ride to Berlin, and when 11
p.m. and the Schleischer station came at last, they still seemed only to
have begun their conversation, so much more remained to be told.

The telegram from the Princess was handed to Lord Donal at Berlin.

"I congratulate you most sincerely," she wired; "and tell Jennie the
next time you see her"--Lord Donal laughed as he read this aloud--"that
the Austrian Government has awarded her thirty thousand pounds for her
share in enabling them to recover their gold, and little enough I think
it is, considering what she has done."

"Now, I call that downright handsome of the Austrian Government," cried
Lord Donal. "I thought they were going to fight us when I read the
speech of their Prime Minister, but, instead of that, they are making
wedding presents to our nice girls."

"Ah, that comes through the good-heartedness of the Princess, and the
kindness of the Prince," said Jennie. "He has managed it."

"But what in the world did you do for the Austrian Government, Jennie?"

"That is a long story, Donal, and I think a most interesting one."

"Well, let us thank heaven that we have a long journey for you to tell
it and me to listen."

And saying this, the unabashed, forward young man took the liberty
of kissing his fair companion good-night, right there amidst all the
turmoil and bustle of the Schleischer Bahnhof in Berlin.

It was early in the morning when the two met again in the restaurant
car. The train had passed Cologne and was now rushing up that
picturesque valley through which runs the brawling little river Vesdre.
Lord Donal and Jennie had the car to themselves, and they chose a table
near the centre of it and there ordered their breakfast. The situation
was a most picturesque one. The broad, clear plate glass windows on each
side displayed, in rapid succession, a series of landscapes well worth
viewing; the densely wooded hills, the cheerful country houses, the
swift roaring stream lashing itself into fleecy foam; now and then a
glimpse of an old ruined castle on the heights, and, in the deep valley,
here and there a water mill.

It was quite evident that Jennie had slept well, and, youth being on her
side, her rest had compensated for the nightmare of the Russian journey.
She was simply but very effectively dressed, and looked as fresh and
pretty and cool and sweet as a snowdrop. The enchanted young man found
it impossible to lure his eyes away from her, and when, with a little
laugh, Jennie protested that he was missing all the fine scenery, he
answered that he had something much more beautiful to look upon; whereat
Jennie blushed most enticingly, smiled at him, but made no further
protest. Whether it was his joy in meeting Jennie, or the result of his
night's sleep, or his relief at finding that his career was not wrecked,
as he had imagined, or all three together, Lord Donal seemed his old
self again, and was as bright, witty, and cheerful as a boy home for the
holidays. They enjoyed their breakfast with the relish that youth and
a healthy appetite gives to a dainty meal well served. The rolls were
brown and toothsome, the butter, in thick corrugated spirals, was of a
delicious golden colour, cold and crisp. The coffee was all that coffee
should be, and the waiter was silent and attentive. Russia, like an evil
vision, was far behind, and the train sped through splendid scenery
swiftly towards England and home.

The young man leaned back in his chair, interlaced his fingers
behind his head, and gazed across at Jennie, drawing a sigh of deep
satisfaction.

"Well, this _is_ jolly," he said.

"Yes," murmured Jennie, "it's very nice. I always did enjoy foreign
travel, especially when it can be done in luxury; but, alas! luxury
costs money, doesn't it?"

"Oh, you don't need to mind, you are rich."

"That is true; I had forgotten all about it."

"I hope, Jennie, that the fact of my travelling on a _train de luxe_
has not deluded you regarding my wealth. I should have told you that I
usually travel third class when I am transporting myself in my private
capacity. I am wringing this pampered elegance from the reluctant
pockets of the British taxpayer. When I travel for the British
Government I say, as _Pooh Bah_ said to _Koko_ in the 'Mikado,' 'Do it
well, my boy,' or words to that effect."

"Indeed," laughed Jennie, "I am in a somewhat similar situation; the
newspaper is paying all the expenses of this trip, but I shall insist
on returning the money to the _Bugle_ now that I have failed in my
mission."

"Dear me, how much more honest the newspaper business is than diplomacy!
The idea of returning any money never even occurred to me. The mere
suggestion freezes my young blood and makes each particular hair to
stand on end like quills upon the fretful porcupine. Our motto in the
service is, Get all you can, and keep all you get."

"But then, you see, your case differs from mine; you did your best to
succeed, and I failed through my own choice; and thus I sit here a
traitor to my paper."

"Well, Jennie," said the young man, picking up the despatch-box, which
he never allowed to leave his sight, and placing it on the table,
"you've only to say the word, and this contentious letter is in your
possession again. Do you regret your generosity?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, I would not have it back on any account. Even
looking at the matter in the most materialistic way, success means far
more to you than it does to me. As you say, I am rich, therefore I am
going to give up my newspaper career. I suppose that is why women very
rarely make great successes of their lives. A woman's career so often is
merely of incidental interest to her; a man's career is his whole life."

"What a pity it is," mused the young man, "that one person's success
usually means another person's failure. If I were the generous,
whole-souled person I sometimes imagine myself to be, I should refuse
to accept success at the price of your failure. You have actually
succeeded, while I have actually failed. With a generosity that makes me
feel small and mean, you hand over your success to me, and I selfishly
accept it. But I compound with my conscience in this way. You and I are
to be married; then we will be one. That one shall be heir to all the
successes of each of us and shall disclaim all the failures of each.
Isn't that a good idea?"

"Excellent," replied Jennie; "nevertheless, I cannot help feeling just a
little sorry for poor Mr. Hardwick."

"Who is he--the editor?"

"Yes. He _did_ have such faith in me that it seems almost a pity to
disappoint him."

"You mustn't trouble your mind about Hardwick. Don't think of him at
all; think of me instead."

"I am afraid I do, and have done so for some time past; nevertheless, I
shall get off at Liege and telegraph to him that I am not bringing the
document to London."

"I will send the telegram for you when we reach there; but, if I
remember rightly what you told me of his purpose, he can't be very
deeply disappointed. I understood you to say that he did not intend to
publish the document, even if he got it."

"That is quite true. He wished to act as the final messenger himself,
and was to meet me at Charing Cross Station, secure the envelope, and
take it at once to its destination."

"I must confess," said the young man, with a bewildered expression,
"that I don't see the object of that. Are you sure he told you the
truth?"

"Oh, yes. The object was this. It seems that there is in the Foreign
Office some crusty old curmudgeon who delights in baffling Mr. Hardwick.
This official--I forget his name; in fact, I don't think Mr. Hardwick
told me who he was--seems to forget the _Daily Bugle_ when important
items of news are to be given out, and Mr. Hardwick says that he favours
one of the rival papers, and the _Bugle_ has been unable, so far, to
receive anything like fair treatment from him; so Mr. Hardwick wanted
to take the document to him, and thus convince him there was danger in
making an enemy of the _Daily Bugle_. As I understood his project, which
didn't commend itself very much to me, Hardwick had no intention of
making a bargain, but simply proposed to hand over the document, and ask
the Foreign Office man to give the _Bugle_ its fair share in what was
going."

"Do you mean to say that the official in question is the man to whom I
am to give this letter?"

"Yes."

"Oh, my prophetic soul, my uncle! Why, that is Sir James Cardiff, the
elder brother of my mother; he is a dear old chap, but I can well
understand an outsider thinking him gruff and uncivil. If the editor
really means what he says, then there will be no difficulty and no
disappointment. If all that is needed is the winning over of old Jimmy
to be civil to Hardwick, I can guarantee that. I am the especial
_protégé_ of my uncle. Everything I know I have learned from him.
He cannot understand why the British Government does not appoint me
immediately Ambassador to France; Jimmy would do it to-morrow if he had
the power. It was through him that I heard of this letter, and I believe
his influence had a good deal to do with my getting the commission of
special messenger. It was the chagrin that my uncle Jimmy would have
felt, had I failed, that put the final drop of bitterness in my cup of
sorrow when I came to my senses after my encounter with the Russian
police. That would have been a stunning blow to Sir James Cardiff. We
shall reach Charing Cross about 7.30 to-night, and Sir James will be
there with his brougham to take charge of me when I arrive. Now, what
do you say to our settling all this under the canopy of Charing Cross
Station? If you telegraph Mr. Hardwick to meet us there, I will
introduce him to Sir James, and he will never have any more trouble in
that quarter."

"I think," said the girl, looking down at the tablecloth, "that I'd
rather not have Mr. Hardwick meet us."

"Of course not," answered the young man quickly. "What was I thinking
about? It will be a family gathering, and we don't want any outsiders
about, do we?"

Jennie laughed, but made no reply.

CHAPTER XXI.

JENNIE KEEPS STEP WITH THE WEDDING MARCH.

They had a smooth and speedy passage across from Calais to Dover, and
the train drew in at Charing Cross Station exactly on time. Lord Donal
recognized his uncle's brougham waiting for him, and on handing the
young lady out of the railway carriage he espied the old man himself
closely scrutinizing the passengers. Sir James, catching sight of him,
came eagerly forward and clasped both his nephew's hands.

"Donal," he cried, "I am very glad indeed to see you. Is everything
right?"

"As right as can be, uncle."

"Then I am glad of that, too, for we have had some very disquieting
hints from the East."

"They were quite justified, as I shall tell you later on; but meanwhile,
uncle, allow me to introduce to you Miss Baxter, who has done me the
honour of promising to be my wife."

Jennie blushed in the searching rays of the electric light as the old
man turned quickly towards her. Sir James held her hand in his for some
moments before he spoke, gazing intently at her. Then he said slowly,
"Ah, Donal, Donal, you always had a keen eye for the beautiful."

"Oh, I say," cried the young man, abashed at his uncle's frankness, "I
don't call that a diplomatic remark at all, you know."

"Indeed, Sir James," said the girl, laughing merrily, "it is better than
diplomatic, it is complimentary, and I assure you I appreciate it. The
first time he met me he took me for quite another person."

"Then, whoever that person is, my dear," replied the old man, "I'll
guarantee she is a lovely woman. And you mustn't mind what I say; nobody
else does, otherwise my boy Donal here would be much higher in the
service than the present moment finds him; but I am pleased to tell
you that the journey he has now finished will prove greatly to his
advantage."

"Indeed, uncle, that is true," said the young man, looking at his
betrothed, "for on this journey I met again Miss Baxter, whom, to my
great grief, I had lost for some time. And now, uncle, I want you to
do me a great favour. Do you know Mr. Hardwick, editor of the _Daily
Bugle_?"

"Yes, I know him; but I don't like him, nor his paper either."

"Well, neither do the Russians, for that matter, by this time, and I
merely wish to tell you that if it hadn't been for his action, and for
the promptness of a member of his staff, I should have failed in this
mission. I was drugged by the Russian police and robbed. Miss Baxter,
who was on the train, saw something of what was going forward, and
succeeded, most deftly, in despoiling the robbers. I was lying
insensible at the time and helpless. She secured the document and handed
it back to me when we had crossed the frontier, leaving in the hands of
the Russians a similar envelope containing a copy of the _Daily Bugle_;
therefore, uncle, if in future you can do anything to oblige Mr.
Hardwick, you will help in a measure to cancel the obligation which our
family owes to him."

"My dear boy, I shall be delighted to do so. I am afraid I have been
rather uncivil to him. If you wish it, I will go at once and apologize
to him."

"Oh, no," cried Jennie, "you must not do that; but if you can help him
without jeopardizing the service, I, for one, will be very glad."

"So shall I," said Donal.

The old man took out his card-case, and on the back of his card
scribbled a most cordial invitation to Hardwick, asking him to call on
him. He handed this to Jennie, and said,--

"Tell Mr. Hardwick that I shall be pleased to see him at any time."

"And now," said Lord Donal, "you must let us both escort you home in the
carriage."

"No, no. I shall take a hansom, and will go directly to the office of
the _Bugle_, for Mr. Hardwick will be there by this time."

"But we can drive you there."

"No, please."

She held out her hand to Sir James and said, with the least bit of
hesitation before uttering the last word, "Good night--uncle."

"Good night, my dear," said the old man, "and God bless you," he added
with a tenderness which his appearance, so solemn and stately, left one
unprepared for.

Lord Donal saw his betrothed into a hansom, protesting all the while at
thus having to allow her to go off unprotected.

"What an old darling he is," murmured Jennie, ignoring his protests. "I
think if Mr. Hardwick had allowed me to look after the interests of the
paper at the Foreign Office, Sir James would not have snubbed me."

"If the Foreign Office dared to do such a thing, it would hear of
something not to its advantage from the Diplomatic Service; and so,
goodnight, my dear." And, with additions, the nephew repeated the
benediction of the uncle.

Jennie drove directly to the office of the _Daily Bugle_, and, for the
last time, mounting the stairs, entered the editorial rooms. She found
Mr. Hardwick at his desk, and he sprang up quickly on seeing who his
visitor was. "Ah, you have returned," he cried. "You didn't telegraph to
me, so I suppose that means failure."

"I don't know, Mr. Hardwick. It all depends on whether or not your
object was exactly what you told me it was."

"And what was that? I think I told you that my desire was to get
possession of the document which was being transmitted from St.
Petersburg to London."

"No; you said the object was the mollifying of old Sir James Cardiff, of
the Foreign Office."

"Exactly; that was the ultimate object, of course."

"Very well. Read this card. Sir James gave it to me at Charing Cross
Station less than half an hour ago."

The editor took the card, turned it over in his hands once or twice, and
read the cordial message which the old man had scribbled on the back of
it.

"Then you have succeeded," cried Hardwick. "You got the document; but
why did you give it to Sir James yourself, instead of letting me hand it
to him?"

"That is a long story. To put it briefly, it was because the messenger
carrying the document was Lord Donal Stirling, who is--who is--an old
friend of mine. Sir James is his uncle, and Lord Donal promised that he
would persuade the old man to let other newspapers have no advantages
which he refused to the _Daily Bugle_. I did not give the document to
Sir James, I gave it back to Lord Donal."

"Lord Donal Stirling--Lord Donal Stirling," mused the editor. "Where
have I heard that name before?"

"He is a member of the British Embassy at St. Petersburg, so you may
have seen his name in the despatches."

"No. He is not so celebrated as all that comes to. Ah, I remember now. I
met the detective the other night and asked him if anything had come of
that romance in high life, to solve which he had asked your assistance.
He said the search for the missing lady had been abandoned, and
mentioned the name of Lord Donal Stirling as the foolish young man who
had been engaged in the pursuit of the unknown."

Jennie coloured at this and drew herself up indignantly.

"Before you say anything further against Lord Donal," she cried hotly,
"I wish to inform you that he and I are to be married."

"Oh, I beg your pardon," said the editor icily. "Then, having failed to
find the other girl, he has speedily consoled himself by--"

"There was no other girl. I was the person of whom Mr. Cadbury Taylor
was in search. I willingly gave him valuable assistance in the task of
failing to find myself. Having only a stupid man to deal with, I had
little difficulty in accomplishing my purpose. Neither Mr. Taylor nor
Mr. Hardwick ever suspected that the missing person was in their own
employ."

"Well, I'm blessed!" ejaculated Hardwick. "So you baffled Cadbury Taylor
in searching for yourself, as you baffled me in getting hold of the
Russian letter. It seems to me, Miss Baxter, that where your own
inclinations do not coincide with the wishes of your employers, the
interests of those who pay you fall to the ground."

"Mr. Cadbury Taylor didn't pay me anything for my services as amateur
detective, and he has, therefore, no right to grumble. As for the St.
Petersburg trip, I shall send you a cheque for all expenses incurred as
soon as I reach home."

"Oh, you mistake me," asserted Mr. Hardwick earnestly. "I had no thought
of even hinting that you have not earned over and over again all the
money the _Daily Bugle_ has paid you; besides, I was longing for your
return, for I want your assistance in solving a mystery that has rather
puzzled us all. Paris is in a turmoil just now over the--"

Jennie's clear laugh rang out.

"I am going over to Paris in a day or two, Mr. Hardwick, to solve the
mystery of dressmaking, and I think, from what I know of it already, it
will require my whole attention. I must insist on returning to you the
cost of the St. Petersburg journey, for, after all, it proved to be
rather a personal excursion, and I couldn't think of allowing the paper
to pay for it. I merely came in to-night to hand you this card from
Sir James Cardiff, and I also desired to tender to you personally my
resignation. And so I must bid you good-bye, Mr. Hardwick," said the
girl holding out her hand; "and I thank you very much indeed for having
given me a chance to work on your paper."

Before the editor could reply, she was gone, and that good man sat down
in his chair bewildered by the suddenness of it all, the room looking
empty and dismal, lacking her presence.

"Confound Lord Donal Stirling!" he muttered under his breath, and then,
as an editor should he went on impassively with his night's work.

* * * * *

It was intended that the wedding should be rather a quiet affair, but
circumstances proved too strong for the young people. Lord Donal was
very popular and the bride was very beautiful. Sir James thought it
necessary to invite a great many people, and he intimated to Lord Donal
that a highly placed personage desired to honour the function with his
presence. And thus the event created quite a little flutter in the smart
set. The society papers affirmed that this elevated personage had been
particularly pleased by some diplomatic service which Lord Donal had
recently rendered him; but then, of course, one can never believe what
one reads in the society press. However, the man of exalted rank was
there, and so people said that perhaps there might be something in
the rumour. Naturally there was a great turn-out of ambassadors and
ministers, and their presence gave colour and dignity to the crush
at St. George's, Hanover Square. The Princess von Steinheimer made a
special journey from Vienna to attend, and on this occasion she brought
the Prince with her. The general opinion was that the bridegroom was a
very noble-looking fellow, and that the bride, in her sumptuous wedding
apparel, was quite too lovely for anything.

The Princess was exceedingly bright and gay, and she chatted with her
old friends the Ambassadors from Austria and America.

"I'm _so_ sorry," she said to the Ambassador from America, "that I did
not have time to speak with you at the Duchess of Chiselhurst's ball,
but I was compelled to leave early. You should have come to me sooner.
The Count here was much more gallant. We had a most delightful
conversation, hadn't we, Count? I was with Lord Donal, you remember."

"Oh, yes," replied the aged Austrian, bowing low; "I shall not soon
forget the charming conversation I had with your Highness, and I hope
you, on your part, have not forgotten the cordial invitation you gave me
to visit again your castle at Meran."

"Indeed, Count, you know very well how glad I am to see you at any time,
either in Vienna or at Meran."

The American Ambassador remained silent, and glanced alternately from
the bride to the Princess with a puzzled expression on his face.

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