Princess Maritza

ogether, or which, having been solved, gave him considerable anxiety. He had pushed his chair back from the table, and his attention was concentrated on the papers he held

, and in piecing together the information they contained into one complete and intelligible

for us," he said to himself, and then he w

e verdict and disappeared in the manner he did, would seem to confirm the truth. That is what I cannot understand," said the Ambassador, arguing the point to the empty room. "

up anoth

to suggest that there was any error of justice in the matter. Of course he might bring an ac

rsuasion in this case. Then he turned to another letter an

uade him against his determination to offer his sword to another country, I can appreciate his point of view since his career had been ruined in his own. If you think any good will come of my writing to him, making on my own account the suggestion contained in

nother paper sig

tempt, and threw the letter aside without troubling to read it

n Ward to c

ing the room with litt

ou know a Desmond Elle

n Gate

ch a man, but I kno

ly with Monsieur De Froilette, and is in her Majesty's favor. I do not want you to make E

derst

e him turn his back upo

gh to hope he may meet

Clove

e arranged,"

tell from the Ambassador's smiling face whether a sinister thought had entered his head or not. After a moment's pause he

Ellerey had no reason to think he had attempted to do the other. At Court the Ambassador had bowed slightly as he passed him, and the flicker of a smile had been on his face for a moment when he saw him crossing the room with Countess Mavrodin, almost as though he wished him to remember what he had said about a lovers' quarrel. Ellerey had made his peace with the Countess as s

ly it would be a satisfaction to me to k

tty. That misled me perhaps. I was foolish to im

with further questions, and, if she were not the woman, would not rest until she had discovered who the other woman was. She would

roilette. The Frenchman was not at Court, and Ellerey did not meet him in the streets of Sturatz

e, and of the mysterious mission he might be called upon at any moment to perform. Such men as Ellerey wished to enlist in the enterprise were not easy to find. There were plenty of a

e find the men we w

ully. "Twelve trusty comrades? It's a large orde

is good pay, two attraction

hen there's any danger in it. But I'll sound one or two I know of, and you can see what you think of them. And mark th

ly half a dozen had been determined on when Ellerey

English home. Toward the end Sir Charles turned to a painful subject, but wrote hopefully. "Let me urge you," he said, "to return home. I am convinced that the time has come for you to begin to slowly prove that you are i

remembrance it brought with it, when Stefa

stood on no such ceremony as this. He bowed in silence as Lord Clove

the intrusion,

said Ellerey as he placed

on labors under a disadvantage of never being supposed to speak a word that has not weighty matter behind it. Some people will find a mystery in my simple

ded to let the Ambassad

oking at me, Ca

ce of thirty seconds the two me

o not be

you refer?"

. I believe you are an innocen

ter which he had thrown

ton en

Martin?" he asked, hold

nglish politics has not? I may live to see him Pr

ord Cloverton read

ould not have a better sponsor for your chara

me the same, L

tain

hy

. It is your duty to fight for y

am not fighting for my c

n Stura

never mend a broken r

re will not co

r England, I am debarr

tion, is it

sing you t

ey. "Shall I tell you the reason, Lord Clo

shoul

u must t

per my work, and by my work I mean England's interests. I do not pretend to know exactly in what direction you will hinder me, but I can guess, and you are too good a man to be cr

u; but I regret that I cannot comply with y

er to be

ted country. We fight with diff

to be war

so. I cannot le

that officers here may not care to associate with one who h

ord Cloverton will spre

s first with me,

injustice. Besides if I were driven to use such weapons in self-defence,

, no

had secretly sought to alienate the lo

that we must unfortunately be enemies. It is a pity. You wil

eet in hand-to-hand encounter. I should hesitate to use my sword against my countrymen, but until British soldiers hold the heights above Sturatzberg there is no need to consider that question; and your work, I presume, lies in

bassador, holding out his hand. "I regret that Fate makes us enemies, and

d an opportunity of renderi

nd smoked innumerable cigarettes, rose hastily and crossed the street. His dress was travel-stained, and he had evidently ridden through dirt

away from Stura

aw attention to his clothes, "and before going to the Altstrasse came to prepar

he visited me?" ask

far you would be succe

friendly," said Eller

ter from the table and p

ick of his, mon

have agreed t

y. "You should have played with him even as I do. He

ine. I am not an adept at crawlin

te after a pause, during which he had se

e to guess, which is hardly remarkable, se

y did h

had probably taken upon himself for the time being the office of spy. As I had no information

ver. Until the man in Sturatzberg was ready we could not proceed. Look at me; I have come from a journey. I

ting," sa

erhaps, nor to-m

n insight into other men's characters, but he conceived that De Froilette would not be likely to lose sight of his own interests, no matter whom he served, nor how humbly such service might be tendered. Ellerey was not even convinced that the Frenchman's support of the Queen's schemes was whole-hearted, and believed him quite capa

but every hour's delay now would be in the Ambassador's favor, and the sooner the blow was struck the better-the more hope of success was there. Everything was ready, and it was now that De Froilette's anxiety was greatest. He was too complete a schemer not to realize how often it was the small insignificant thing which served to ruin great enterprises built up with so much care and elaboration. Over and over again he had tested every point in his plans, and had not succeeded in finding any weak spot. There seemed to be no contingency he was not prepar

ch the Queen had come. A pile of unopened letters was upon the desk, for Monsieur De Froilette empl

e servant's answer without interrupting him. The answer was usually a long one, full details of the happenings during the master's absence, not of tho

Princess, she h

ks ago. The Princess is cruising to the British Colonies. I

t voyage. She did not go. She slipped away quietly, and no one knew." De Froilette's

said. "The Princess Mar