Wanted, an English Girl by Moore Dorothea

Author:Moore, Dorothea [Moore, Dorothea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Books to Treasure
Published: 2015-05-15T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XVIII

A Court Appointment

It was about an hour later that Gill drove up to the entrance of the Grand-ducal palace, for the second time.

Dick had managed to procure a taxi, but the going had been very slow, on account of the many times when a uniformed official stopped the cab and demanded, “Name, residence, and business?”

However, they were here at last; not that it seemed to matter nearly so much as Gill had expected, for her thoughts were with her friends in the Rue des Carillons.

She really wanted to stay with them, but Dick would not hear of it. He insisted that she would do the best thing possible for them by coming straight to the Grand-Duchess and asking her to use her influence for the prevention of further billeting in that house at least. He told Gill that he believed the invaders wished to keep an outward show of civility towards the ruler of Insterburg, although they would not show mercy towards any act of rebellion to their authority, and that view made it more possible to leave poor Tienette.

She had her sister, for Marie would never go back to the Von Traumes again; but Gill knew that the person who had been with Bèrnard at the last, and done even her unsuccessful best to fight for his life, must be something to Tienette. Still she had to go, and it was the easier that Dick looked thoroughly worn out and ought to be in bed, she was certain. Only she could not feel the same wild happiness at the thought of seeing and speaking with Carina that such a thought would have roused in her earlier in the day. All these horrors seemed to have burnt it out, as it were.

Dick took her through the hall, only stopping to ask the footman, who took Gill’s hold-all, “Where is Her Grand-ducal Highness?”

The man answered that Her Grand-ducal Highness was closeted with Monsieur Dellotte, Monsieur Anverra and the Burgomaster in the Round Library.

“And Mademoiselle de Monti?” Dick asked.

The man believed that Mademoiselle de Monti was in attendance on Her Grand-ducal Highness. Dick whistled softly.

“Shall I find Mademoiselle Pipignon for you?”

“No, don’t, please,” Gill said. “I would much rather sit down quietly somewhere where I shan’t be in the way, and just wait. I’m rather afraid of Mademoiselle Pipignon.”

“So am I, by Jove,” Dick agreed, with the nearest approach to a laugh that she had seen in him to-day. “Come along to the shell drawing-room; no one will bother us there, I expect, and we will catch the Grand-Duchess when she comes out of council.”

He took Gill to a long room, where the walls were entirely patterned in a wonderful mosaic of tiny shells, which it must have taken a lifetime to collect. When the room was lit up their delicate transparency was all rose-tinted, but just now there were no lights there, and in the fading of the long summer daylight they only shimmered faintly, like a waning moon.

Small tables,

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