e place where I was concealed,
or rather, only half concealed, for they could have seen me if either
had chanced to look in my direction. I could see them plainly. As it
was, I nestled closer among the cushions and closed my eyes, expecting
discovery; but for some reason--fate impelled, doubtless--they passed
on a few steps, and entered another of the Turkish bowers which was the
counterpart of the one that concealed me, and they seated themselves so
near to me that I could have reached out one hand and touched them had
it not been for the intervening screen of tapestry which partitioned
the two enclosures. The few words I had overheard convinced me that I
was not to listen to confidences of a sentimental nature; otherwise I
should have made my presence known, and escaped. The sentence that had
reached me, uttered by the man, suggested another reason for the tryst,
and I therefore listened, convinced that it was my duty to do so.

CHAPTER IX

A SECRET INTERVIEW

I wondered if they would not detect the odor of my cigar, and thus
discover that they were not alone in the garden, but the draft carried
the smoke away from them; and then I became absorbed in what they were
saying.

"I can give you only a few moments, Ivan," murmured the princess. "My
guests will miss me. You should have come to me later."

"I know; but it was impossible. There is a meeting to-night, and our
good friends are very anxious to hear something from you. When can you
be present to tell them in your own words what you accomplished during
your journey?"

The tone of the question was masterful, and unconsciously I resented
it.

What right had any other man to address my princess in that manner? for
already I found myself regarding her as _my_ princess. I knew now that
I had wandered into the garden solely for the purpose of being alone to
think about her, and that in my short journeys up and down the paths,
finally ending among the cushions of the Turkish bower, I had had her
with me for a companion. You will discover by this statement that I was
still mindful of her presence near me, even though I had left her in
the drawing room while I went away alone; but it is always possible to
conjure a personal presence if the mind is sufficiently intent upon it,
and even though that presence be not physical, it is nevertheless real.

The tone of the man who was speaking with her in the adjoining bower
was masterful, as I have said. More than