Clementina

pale beneath its sunburn, and his hand trembled on the balustrade; for he knew-in his heart he knew.

he broad bars of sunshine fell, as they slanted dusty with motes through the open lattices of the shutters, they striped a woman's dress or a man's velvet coat. Yet if anyone shuffled a foot or allowed a petticoat to rustle, that person glanced on each side guiltily. A group of people were gathered in front of the doorway. Their backs were towards Wogan, and they were looking towards the centre of the room. Wogan raised himself on his toes and looked that way too. Having looked he sank down again, aware at o

own to everyone in that room; to Wogan the marriage meant more. For even while he found himself muttering over and over with dry lips, as white and exhausted he leaned against the door, Clementina's qualifications,-"Daughter of the King of Poland, cousin to the Emp

een standing by the blazing wood fire in the huge chimney a girl in a riding dress. She raised her head, and the firelight struck upwards on her face, adding a warmth to its bright colours and a dancing light to the depths of her dark eyes. Her hair was drawn backwards from her forehead, and the frank, sweet face revealed to him

with the Princess and her mother and a mile-long t

his voice. Wogan raised himself again on tiptoes and noticed tha

he Princess's mother w

ached Ratisbo

town to flout us with an address of welcome in whi

urried? Since you were discovered,

He stopped, and then in a burst of desperatio

ht d

crushed his handkerchief into a hard ball in his palm. It seemed to him that here in this ro

ght days in

er jewels reset. Augsburg is famous

er sprang from his chair. "Her jewels reset!" he said. He repeated the wor

too, so that a lady may have her jewels reset at Augs

he room, settled again on Hay. He stamped hi

e glad of that. It would have been a pity had the courier killed his horse. Oh, I can fashion the rest of the story for myself. You trailed on

was now in a pitiable confusion.

eyes as he heard the plea, and a

rry with a pigeon's swiftness so that your King might taste his bitter n

r?" asked Hay, barely

the Princess Clemen

Then she leaned forward to the Governor, who stood by her carriage, and cri

hat he had spoken them, and that he heard the echo of his voice vibrating down to silence. But he had not, and as he realised that he had not, a new thought occurred to him. No one had remarked his entrance into the room. The group in front still stood with their backs towards him. Since his entrance no one had remarked his p

er. "There's profit in it;" and Wogan put his hand

"any bright object

crown, though

pocket. But if I h

ld dazz

should be blin

was offere

n made his way quickly to his lodging. He had the key to his door in his pocket, and he now kept it ready in his hand. From the shelter of a corner he watched again till the road was clear; he even examined the windows of the neighbouring houses lest somewhere a pair of eyes might happen to be alert. Then he made a run for his door, opened it without noise, and crept s

-of that, too, he had no doubt. The handful of lackeys at the door of the King's house need not be taken into account. They might gossip among themselves, but Wogan's appearances and disappearances were so ordinary a matter, even that was unlikely. The usher's silence he had already secu

ome to the end of his luck. He sat down a

it grows dusk. Have a care that no one sees you deliver it. Lock the parlour door when you go, and take the key. I am not yet back from Rome."