For a moment a great doubt clouded her bright eyes. "Do you think you have made a strange mistake, Christabel, and that it is not my Karl who is coming?"
"No dear, I have made no mistake. I could not do that. I only tell you this, that you may not be surprised if you hear others speak to him as Gustav, and look for you to do the same. If I were you, I should call him Gustav before others, and use the other name when you are alone."
At that moment Mrs. Perry knocked at the door and called me.
Her eyes were shining and her face alight with love and nervous anticipation. "Is it Kar--Gustav?"
"No, dearest. Not yet. He may be some little time yet. You will wait here patiently till I come for you?"
"Not patiently," she cried with the rueful pout of a child.
I kissed her. "Courage and a little patience, Gareth," I whispered; my arms about her and her head on my shoulder.
"Yes. I'll try to be patient--but you don't know what it is to wait like this in such suspense."
"I'll come for you the instant I can," I assured her, and went out to Mrs. Perry.
"The two gentlemen are here, Miss Christabel."
"I'll go down to them;" and I ran down, with no very clear thought of what I was to say to either Colonel Katona or to Karl, until I knew for certain that Gustav would really come.
And there was no news yet from James Perry.
As I entered the room Karl came to me with both hands outstretched. Utterly regardless of Colonel Katona's presence, he exclaimed in a tone of intense earnestness; "Thank God, for a sight of you again, Christabel."
"Count Karl," I said, half in protest, as I put my hands into his nervously and glanced at the Colonel.
"Never mind the Colonel. He knows everything," he declared in the most unabashed manner, "even that I have come to recant. I must take back the promise I made the other night."
"Good-morning, Colonel Katona;" and I drew my hands away from Karl, who had held on to them with quite embarrassing pertinacity.
The Colonel's hard eyes were quite soft with the softness of Gareth's as he smiled. "You have a lovely garden here, may I go out into it?"
"Indeed you may not," I replied quickly. If Count Gustav caught sight of him he would be scared right away.
"Count Karl wishes to speak to you alone--that's why I asked," he replied in his blunt, soldierly way.