The Car of Destiny

								

in time for the ball."
"What ball?"
"Didn't I tell you? A masked ball the old Duchess is giving in honour of
Princess Ena. A grand affair it will be, says de la Mole. There's been
jealousy about the invitations, which have been carefully weeded."
"You and I'll accept," said I.
"We're not likely to have the chance."
"Sometimes a man must make a chance. I shall meet Lady Monica at the
Duchess's ball."
"All right. Suppose you go in the garb of a palmer?"
"Eh?"
"I was thinking of another first meeting, case not dissimilar, you know,
Romeo and Juliet. My poor, mad friend, there's more hope for a Montague
with a Capulet than for a Casa Triana with a friend of the future Queen of
Spain, and the daughter of a Lady Vale-Avon."
"Romeo won Juliet."
"It wasn't exactly a fortunate marriage. See here, if you're going in for
the part of Romeo, it's no good asking me to play Mercutio."
I looked at Dick and smiled. "I shall ask nothing," I said. "Yet--"
"Yet, you know mighty well, if you want a Mercutio, I'll be ready to take
up the rôle at a moment's notice all for the sake of your beaux yeux.
Well, you're right. There's something queer about you, Ramón, which makes
us others glad to do what we can, even if it were to cost our lives. If
you'd been a king in exile, you'd have had no trouble in finding
followers. From your French valet to your Russian soldiers; from your
English chauffeur to your American friend, it's pretty well the same. I
expect you'll get to that masked ball."
"If I don't, it won't be for lack of trying," said I.
"But--"
"But what--"
"This affair of yours is going to end in tragedy--for someone," said Dick.

                                   III

THE GUEST WHO WAS NOT ASKED

During the next two or three days I found more to do. I got Dick to
introduce me to his friend Henri de la Mole, not as Christopher Trevenna,
but under my own name, and when he and his sister had been interested in
what they chose to think a romance, I was able to learn through them that,
curiously enough, Lady Vale-Avon had arranged for her daughter to appear
at the ball as Juliet.
The costume, it seemed, decided itself, because there happened to be among
Lady Vale-Avon's inherited and most treasured possessions, an interesting
pearl head-dress of the conventional Juliet fashion. This had been sent
for from England; and if I could succeed in getting to the ball, as I
fully intended to do, I should have little difficulty in identifying the
head that I adored.
Had I not taken de la Mole more or less into my confidence, he would have
done nothing to further my interests; but, if I really have any such power
as Dick Waring hinted, I used it to enlist de la Mole upon my side.
Finally he not only agreed, but offered to help me enter the Duchess of
Carmona's house as one of her masked guests. He had been asked to stand at
the door that night, and request each person, or in any case the man of