certainly call him a great man," said Mary, but still with
that note of complete personal indifference in her voice. "He not only
has immense brain power and personality, but farsight and a thorough
understanding of the people, and sympathy with them. Even the
Social-Democrats liked and trusted him. And he has more than the
ordinary politician's astuteness in trimming his sails; but coming out,
nevertheless, at the end of the course exactly at the point he had
aimed for. If he captures the bridge, to change the simile, he'll
steer Austria out of her deep waters. No doubt of that."

"Exactly what was the part you intended to play in Austria?" he asked.
"You have never told me."

"I thought we were not to talk of that. It is impossible to make
deliberate plans, anyhow. Only, there is a part for any one who loves
the country and has the brains and the wealth and the political
knowledge to help her."

"I have never quite understood why it should be Austria. Why not
Hungary? After all----"

"I never cared for anything in Hungary but the castle, which was
wonderfully situated in the mountains of Transylvania. The
surroundings were wild beyond description and the peasants the most
picturesque and interesting in Europe. But even if Buda Pesth had
appealed to me socially, which it never did, there were deep personal
reasons that made me dislike Hungary--I never spent a night in the
Zattiany palace until I turned it into a hospital. But Vienna! I
always lived in Vienna when I could, even during my first years in
Europe, and later I made it my home. It is the most fascinating city,
to me at least, in the world. Besides, Hungary is in the hands of
Horthy and Bethlen, who have no more idea of making a republic of it
than of permitting any one else to be king. There is no role for----"

"Hullo! Hullo! Hullo!"

Clavering sprang to his feet. "Shall we take the bull by the horns and
go to meet them?" he asked. "Poor devils! They'll hate us for looking
so fresh."

LII

They were forced to submit to a vast amount of good-natured chaffing,
for they had invited it, but it was the sort of chaffing with which
this amiable company would have victimized any pair that had recently
met, and found each other's society suddenly preferable to that of the
crowd.

They were all very tired. Mr. Dinwiddie, after refreshing his guests
and himself with highballs, went to his room and to bed. Rollo Todd
announced t