ng at the wonderful self possession of the
woman whose life, liberty, honor, happiness, and whose all, had been by
means of the conversation I had overheard, placed utterly at my mercy.
Even though I were really what she supposed me to be, an ordinary
citizen, the danger was no less, for I had but to repeat what I had
heard, to bring about an investigation which could result in only one
way. Her composure was absolute as we walked side by side towards the
house, nor did she once refer to the subject upon which we were both
thinking so deeply. She was a shade paler than usual, but beyond that
there was no sign that anything out of the ordinary had occurred; nor
did she manifest any evidence of the nervous fear which would have
prostrated most women in such a predicament.

Neither of us recurred to the subject that was uppermost in our minds.
Indeed we were silent during the moment that was required to traverse
the length of the garden, and to pass from it into the house where the
company was assembled.

But I was conscious of a subtle change in the character of my feelings
towards Zara de Echeveria. The fascination that had enthralled me a
little while back, was tempered now by a wholesome dread of this
riotously beautiful creature who could use her God-given feminine
attributes to attain such deplorable ends. What had seemed to me to be
a creature of utter loveliness, had now degenerated to a thing that was
momentarily horrible, because what I had believed to be all purity, and
all perfection, had suddenly been revealed as something that was akin
to unmoral.

We parted at the door, she to cross the room and join a group of her
guests who were clamoring for her while I loitered, with no purpose
save to avoid comment on the apparent fact that the princess and I had
been so long a time together in the garden. The prince joined me while
I stood there. He was accompanied by a man whom he wished to introduce
to me.

"Ah, Dubravnik," he said. "I have been looking everywhere for you.
Didn't know but you had gone. This is my friend Alexis Durnief. You've
each heard me talk about the other, so you should be good friends."

"Captain Alexis Durnief?" I asked, shaking hands with him.

"The same," he replied. "Just returned from one of the far posts in
Siberia, and I am very glad to be back here again. I haven't had an
opportunity to greet the princess yet; you kept her in the garden so
long."

I thought that he gave me a si