The clock of the Stiftskirche tolled out nine strokes, and the
courtiers murmured angrily that they had been waiting an entire hour.

At length the door leading to her Highness's apartment was flung open,
and Monsieur de Gemmingen, Controller of the Duchess's household,
appeared, bowing deeply as Johanna Elizabetha entered, followed by Madame
de Stafforth, who was in attendance on her Highness in the absence of
Mademoiselle de Muensingen, the lady-in-waiting. The audience rose to
greet the Duchess, and at that moment his Highness Eberhard Ludwig
appeared from another door followed by Oberhofmarshall Stafforth,
Reischach, and other gentlemen of the suite.

Her Highness bowed to right and left. Her face was deadly white and her
eyes swollen with weeping; even her usual colourless amiability seemed to
have deserted her, for, after the generally inclusive salute to the
entire company, she swept towards her gilded chair without a word of
direct greeting to any individual. Eberhard Ludwig, on the contrary,
assumed an air of gaiety, as with his habitual grace of manner he passed
down the lines of guests, finding a courteous word for each and all. Yet
the courtiers remarked that his Highness's face was flushed, and that his
eyes held a glitter of angry defiance; but he gave no other sign of
disturbance, and did not respond to Stafforth's whispered inquiry if his
Highness had heard news of serious import.

Johanna Elizabetha summoned the Oberhofmarshall and desired him to
command the musicians to commence, and the courtiers watched how Eberhard
Ludwig, seating himself beside her Highness, seemed to fix his mind upon
the music. It was a matter of comment that Monsieur and Madame de
Stafforth were present at the concert without their guest Mademoiselle de
Graevenitz; and the well informed, delighted with their superior
knowledge, whispered that the decree 'No Foreigners' was levelled at this
lady alone. Under cover of the music the audience gossiped in whispers,
while they noted the Duchess Johanna Elizabetha's demeanour with
interest.

Her Highness sat beside the Duke in that attitude which, translated from
court to market-place parlance, would have been 'turning her back upon
him'; in more polite circles this attitude becomes a mere inclination of
the shoulder. It is less satisfactory to the offended, though certainly
not less abashing to the offender, than the ruder, more frankly human
market-place manner. And it seemed as t