At any
rate she was to be found in the saloons of Rome and Paris. A woman like
Zalika could always find assistance and protection. As a Bojar's
daughter she had her title of nobility, and even the forced sale of her
Roumanian estate, about which many knew, may have aided her to play her
_role_. Society opens its arms only too willingly to such as she,
especially when they have talent, and that Zalika undoubtedly had. By
what means she lived is another question."

"But Hartmut, upon whom she forced such a life, what of him?"

"He's an adventurer. What else could you expect?" said the ambassador in
his curtest tone. "He inherited her temperament, and his life with her
has developed the dormant tendency. Since his mother's death, three
years ago, I have heard nothing of him."

"And why did you keep all this from me?" said Regine, reprovingly.

"I wanted to spare you all I could. You had always given the boy too
warm a place in your heart, and I thought it better to let you imagine
him dead. Have you ever told Falkenried any of your idle speculations
concerning him?"

"Once I ventured to speak of the past to him. I hoped to break through
the icy reserve which he always maintains towards me now. He looked at
me, I will not soon forget his eyes, and said with fearful
impressiveness: 'My son is dead. You know that, Regine. We will let the
dead rest in peace.' I have never mentioned Hartmut's name since then."

"I suppose I hardly need counsel you to be silent when we return home,"
continued her brother. "On no account let Willibald hear of this
meeting, for he's so good-natured that he'd be off at once if he heard
his boyhood's friend was in the neighborhood. It's much better he should
know nothing about it. If there should be a second meeting I will just
ignore the fellow. Adelheid does not know him; in fact she doesn't even
know that Falkenried had a son."

He broke off suddenly and arose, for his young wife and her escort
emerged at that moment from the tower door. The prince greeted the
ambassador and his sister, whom he had met a day or two before, and
asked quite innocently whether they had seen his friend Rojanow, who had
disappeared from the tower a few moments before.

Wallmoden threw a warning glance toward his sister, who stared at the
prince in surprise, and answered promptly and politely that he had seen
no gentleman, and added that he was just on the point of going in search
of his wife, as it was quite