My Friend the Chauffeur
yourself--though Maida would think that a selfish speech. Anyway, the
effect of that storm was thrilling. First, Nature seemed to stop smiling
and grow very grave as the shadows deepened among the mountains. Then,
suddenly the thing happened which she had been expecting. A spurt of ink
was flung across the sky and lake, leaving on the left a wall of blue,
on the right an open door of gold. Black feathers drooped from the sky
and trailed across the roughened water, to be blown away from sight as
the storm passed from our lake to another; and when they had vanished,
out came the sun again to shine through violet mists which bathed the
mountain sides, and made their peaks seem to rise from a transparent
sea.
We could not tear ourselves away until sunset; and by the time we had
dressed for dinner, the rising moon had traced a path of silver from
shore to shore, across the pansy-purple water, where the lights of
Cadennabia were sending golden ladders down to the bottom of the lake.
I supposed that we would dine indoors, but the arbour where we had
breakfasted was illuminated with coloured lanterns, which gleamed like
rubies and emeralds and topazes among the dark tree branches, and the
trails of roses and wistaria. "This is part of my surprise," said the
Prince. "I have arranged this in honour of your birthday, dear Countess.
No, don't thank me. Is it not my greatest pleasure to think of you?"
Perhaps it was because I was in a mood to be pleased with everything,
but it did seem as if I had never tasted such a dinner as that was. We
had every delicacy in and out of season, a fruit salad which is a
specialty of the house, made of strawberries, fresh figs, cherries,
pineapples, and almonds; and when I thought that all the surprise was
over, along the terrace came a procession of green, blue and
rose-coloured lights, as if fairies were flitting among the trees. But
the fairies turned out to be waiters, bringing illuminated ices in
fantastic shapes, and a birthday cake for me lighted with twenty-nine
tiny wax candles.
All had been thought of by the Prince; and if there had been any doubt
in my mind before, I now saw that he really loved me for myself alone.
When everybody had wished me good wishes, blowing out the candles as
they wished, we left the table to stroll about in the moonlight, and the
Prince and I got separated from the others. "Ah, but this isn't all," he
broke in, when I was trying to tell him how much I appreciated what he
had done. "The best, I hope, is to come, if you will trust yourself to
me for a little while."
I was ready to do so for any length of time, and when he had sent to the
house for my wrap, and was leading me down a sloping path which I hadn't
seen before, my curiosity bubbled like a tea-kettle beginning to boil.
"We are going to the little harbour on the Lecco side," he explained,
"and there--you shall see what you shall see."
"Are you planning to run away with me?" I asked, laughing. "Perhaps,"
said he, "and as fast as if we were in my automobile, though we shall
travel by water."
I couldn't think what he meant, until we arrived at the harbour of which
he had spoken. There, among two or three canopied row-boats was one as
different as a swan is from geese. It had no canopy; and as the Prince
brought me down to the quay, a man who had been sitting in the boat
jumped up and touched his cap, which was shaped like a chauffeur's. And
sure enough it was a chauffeur's, for this was a motor-boat, which had
been lent by friends to Prince Dalmar-Kalm, especially for him to take
me on the lake by moonlight.
He told me that he had hurried to Bellagio on purpose to borrow it, and
if we did not leave too early to-morrow the people would call on
me--distinguished people, who would delight in doing honour to the
"American Countess."
Those were his very words; and he was so kind that I hadn't the heart to
let him see I was frightened to go out in the motor-boat. I should have
been far happier in a slow, comfortable old row-boat; and when I found
that the Prince intended to leave the chauffeur behind, and manage the
thing himself, my heart felt as if it had melted and begun to trickle
down between my ribs. It did seem hard, just as I had got used to a
motor-car, to have this new experience thrust upon me, all unprepared.
Often I had thought what noble sentiments one ought to utter while
driving in an automobile, considering that, at any moment your next
words might be your last! but as we shot away from that little quay, out
into the cold white path of the moon, I felt that to save my life I
couldn't have uttered any sentiments at all.
The Prince, however, appeared to be happy, and to have perfect
confidence in himself, in spite of the water looking twice as wet as it
had looked in the afternoon. This motor was of the same make as that in
his car, he said; it was by his advice that his friends had bought it,
therefore he understood it very well, and where would I like to go?
"Anywhere," I answered, as pleasantly as a woman can, whose heart has
just turned to water.
"If I could but flatter myself that you meant anywhere with _me_!" he
exclaimed. "To me, also, our destination is indifferent, provided that I
am with you and have you to myself, undisturbed by others not worthy to
approach you. Do you know, Countess, this is the first time you have
ever been alone with me, for more than a few moments?"
"It's only been a few minutes now," I faltered, for the sake of
something to say.
"Ah, but it will be many minutes before I give you up," said he, "unless
you are cruel."
My heart began to beat fast, for his manner made me guess that
something special was coming, and though I had often thought such a
moment might arrive, and decided, or almost decided, how I would act,
when it was actually at hand it seemed more tremendous than I had
supposed.
"You must try to keep me in good humour, then," said I; but though the
moon was beautifully romantic, and I felt he was looking at me with his
whole soul in his eyes, I couldn't help keeping one of mine glued on the
steering gear, or whatever one ought to call it, and wondering whether
he was paying as much attention to it as he was to me.
"I am more anxious to please you than anything else in the world; you
must have seen that long ago," he went on, moving closer. I gave a
little bound, because the boat was certainly going in zigzags, and he
was so near that by accident I jogged his elbow. With that, the boat
darted off to the left, at twice the rate it had been going. I screamed
under my breath, as Beechy says, and caught hold of the seat with both
hands. The Prince did something in a hurry to the machinery, and
suddenly the engine was as still as death. The boat went on for a few
yards, as if by its own impetus, and then began to float helplessly.
"I've stopped the motor by mistake," he explained. "I will start it
again soon, but let us remain as we are for the present. It is so
delicious to rock quietly on the little waves with you beside me, and
the rest of the world far away."
"Oh, but the waves aren't so very little," I said. "The water hasn't
smoothed down since the storm. It's awfully nice and poetic, but don't
you think it would be still nicer if you just steered?"
"I cannot steer the boat unless the motor is working," he replied. "But
there is no danger of our being run down at this time. The moon lights
the water with a great white lamp."
"Yes, but look at that big, dark cloud," said I, pointing up. "It will
be putting out the light of the lamp in about five minutes. And--and I
_do_ see things moving on the water. When the moon is obscured, we
_might_ have a collision."
The Prince looked up and saw the cloud too. "Very well," he said. "I
will start the motor at once on one condition--that you do not ask me to
take you home for an hour, at least."
"I promise that," I answered, quite shyly.
Instantly he set to work at the motor; but it wouldn't start. The Prince
did a great many things, and even lighted dozens of matches, to see what
was the matter, but not a throb would the engine give.
"I am afraid," he announced at last, in a voice that tried not to sound
cross, "I'm afraid the sparking-plug is broken."
"Well?" said I, "What then? Shall we be drowned?"
"Not at all," he reassured me, taking my hand. "We shall only drift
about until some one comes to our rescue, as unfortunately there are no
oars on board. If I thought you were not unhappy, I could rejoice in the
accident."
I let him keep my hand, but I couldn't feel as happy as I ought, to be
polite. "It's--it's very interesting," I stammered, "but they don't know
where we are, and they'll never think to search the lake for us!"
"The chauffeur will come to see what is wrong if I do not get the boat
back by a little after midnight," said the Prince.
"A little after midnight!" I echoed. "But that would be awful! What
would they think? And oh, see, the cloud's over the moon! Ugh, how dark
it is. We shall certainly be run down. Couldn't we call for help?"
"We are a long way already from the shore," said the Prince; "and
besides it is not dignified to shout. By and by some one will come.
Meanwhile, let us enjoy ourselves. Dear Countess, I confess I brought
you here to-night--your birthday night--for a purpose. Will you listen
while I tell you what it is?"
"Sh! Wait one minute. Aren't those voices in the distance, and don't you
see something big and dark bearing down upon us?"
"They exist but in your imagination," answered the Prince; "Or is it
only that you wish to put me off?"
"Oh, no; I wouldn't be so rude," said I. "Please excuse me." But I was
on pins and needles, trying to keep an eye in every direction at once
(as if I'd had a headlight in my face) and to make the most of my
situation at the same time.
"Then I will no longer strain my patience," cried the Prince in a warm
voice. "Dearest Countess, I am at your feet."
And so he was, for he went right down on his knees in the bottom of the
boat, kneeling on my dress so that I couldn't have stirred an inch if
I'd wanted to, which I didn't; for I meant to accept him. He had had
only my right hand, but now he seized the left, too, and began to kiss,
first one, and then the other, as if I'd been a queen.
This was the first time a man had ever gone down on his knees to me, for
the Prince is the only foreign gentleman I ever knew, and Mr. Kidder
proposed in a buggy. Afraid as I was of a collision, I was enjoying
myself very much, when suddenly a horrid thing happened. A great white
light pounced upon us like a hawk on a chicken, and focussed on us as if
we were a tableau. It was so bright, shining all over us and into our
eyes, that it made everything else except just the Prince and me, and
our boat, look black, as if it were raining ink. And we were so taken
aback with surprise, that for an instant or two we kept our position
exactly as if we were sitting for our photographs, the Prince kneeling
at my feet and kissing my hands, I bending down my face over his head.
I never experienced such a moment in my life, and the thought flashed
into my head that it was Simon's ghost come to forbid my second
marriage. This idea was so frightful, that it was actually a relief to
hear a vulgar shout of laughter coming from the other end of the light,
wherever that was.
The Prince recovered before I did, and jerked himself up to a sitting
posture on the seat, exclaiming something in German, which I am afraid
was swearing.
"Those Italian ruffians of the _douane_, with their disgusting
search-light!" he sputtered in English when he was recovering himself a