the circumstances connected with
its production were such that society was anxious to judge for itself of
this work of the duke's latest protege. The theatre was crowded to
overflowing, and the ducal couple with their suite were early in the
court boxes. Although no special announcement had been made, the evening
was evidently looked upon as a festival occasion, and every one was
attired _a la grande toilette_, the ladies vieing with one another in
the richness and brilliancy of their dress.

Prince Adelsberg, who was in the ducal box, was as much excited as if
he had written the drama himself.

His aunt, too, was greatly interested in the success of the evening's
entertainment, and had been looking carefully over the play bill when he
entered the box; she called him to her at once.

"Our young friend seems to have his whims like all other poets," she
remarked. "What a singular caprice to change the name of his heroine in
the last hour."

"But that is not the case," Egon answered. "The change was made long
before we left Rodeck. Hartmut took it into his head that 'Ada' was too
cold and clear-cut a name for the passionate character of his heroine,
so he re-baptized her."

"But the name 'Ada' is here on the programme," interrupted the princess.

"Certainly, but it belongs to quite a different person in the drama now,
one who only appears in a single scene."

"Then Herr Rojanow has made his alterations since he read it for us at
Fuerstenstein?"

"Only a few; the play is really quite unchanged with that single
exception. Hartmut has added that scene with Ada in it, and I can assure
your highness it's the most poetical thing he has ever written."

"Of course, everything your friend writes is wonderful in your eyes,"
his aunt answered, but her unusually gracious smiles showed that in this
opinion she did not disagree with him.

The ambassador and his wife, who had only returned forty-eight hours
before, sat in one of the large proscenium boxes. Baron von Wallmoden
was anything but a willing guest of the court to-night, but he knew it
was incumbent on him in his position to accept this evening's
invitation. The duke had invited the whole diplomatic corps, and as the
North German ambassador and his wife had dined at the ducal table that
evening no excuse could be offered for declining the later
entertainment.

Willibald had come too, to see and hear the work of his old-time friend;
as his uncle was to be there, s