on the way."

Udo, who was about to enter the Palace, turned round with a startled
look.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, something happened on the way here. By the by, how did that
happen? You never told me."

"Your precious Countess, whom you expect me to marry."

"How very unkind of her. A nasty person to annoy." He was silent for
a moment, and then added thoughtfully, "I suppose it _is_ rather
annoying to think you're going to marry somebody whom you love very
much, and then find you're not going to."

Udo evidently hadn't thought of this. He tried to show that he was
not in the least frightened.

"She couldn't do anything. It was only by a lucky chance she did it
last time."

"Yes, but of course the chance might come again. You'd have the thing
hanging over you always. She's clever, you know; and I should never
feel quite safe if she were my enemy. . . . Lovely flowers, aren't
they? What's the name of this one?"

Udo dropped undecidedly into a seat. This wanted thinking out. The
Countess--what was wrong with her, after all? And she evidently adored
him. Of course that was not surprising; the question was, was it fair
to disappoint one who had, perhaps, some little grounds for----?
After all, he had been no more gallant than was customary from a
Prince and a gentleman to a beautiful woman. It was her own fault if
she had mistaken his intentions. Of course he ought to have left
Euralia long ago. But he had stayed on, and--well, decidedly she was
beautiful--perhaps he had paid rather too much attention to that. And
he had certainly neglected the Princess a little. After all, again,
why not marry the Countess? It was absurd to suppose there was
anything in Coronel's nonsense, but one never knew. Not that he was
marrying her out of fear. No; certainly not. It was simply a
chivalrous whim on his part. The poor woman had misunderstood him,
and she should not be disappointed.

"She seems fond of flowers," said Coronel. "You ought to make the
Palace garden look beautiful between you."

"Now, understand clearly, Coronel, I'm not in the least frightened by
the Countess."

"My dear Udo, what a speech for a lover! Of course you're not. After
all, what you bore with such patience and dignity once, you can bear
again."

"That subject is distasteful to me. I must ask you not to refer to
it. If I marry the Countess----"

"You'll be a very lucky man," put in Coronel. "I happen to know t