she cried to the frightened Letty.

"Let's go there," said Letty.

"Yes!" cried Anna, striking her hands together. "Yes! The carriage--Frau
Dellwig, order the carriage--order Fritz to bring the carriage out at
once. Tell him to be quick--quick!"

"The gracious Miss will go to Lohm?"

"Yes--call him, send for him--Fritz! Fritz!" She herself began to call.

"But----"

"Fritz! Fritz! Run, Letty, and see if you can find him."

"If I may be permitted to advise----"

"Fritz! Fritz! Fritz!"

"Call the _herrschaftliche Kutscher_ Fritz," Frau Dellwig then commanded
a passing boy in a loud and stern voice. "Not only mad, but improper,"
was her private comment. "She goes by night to her _Braeutigam_--to her
unacknowledged _Braeutigam_." Even a possible burning _Braeutigam_ did
not, in her opinion, excuse such a step.

The darkness concealed the anger on her face, and Anna neither noticed
nor cared for the anger in her voice, but began herself to run in the
direction of the stables, leaving Frau Dellwig to her reflections.

"Princess Ludwig is looking for you everywhere, Aunt Anna," said Letty,
coming towards her, having found Fritz and succeeded in making him
understand what she wanted.

"Where is she? Is the carriage coming?"

"He said five minutes. She was at the house, asking the servants if they
had seen you."

"Come along then, we'll go to her."

"I was afraid I should not find you here," said the princess as Anna
came up the steps of the house into the light of the entry, "and that
you had run off to Lohm to put the fire out. My dear child, what do you
look like? Come and look at yourself in the glass."

She led her to the glass that hung above the Dellwig hat-stand.

"I am just going there," said Anna, looking at her reflection without
seeing it. "The carriage is being got ready now."

"Then I am coming too. What has the wind been doing to your hair? See, I
knew you were running about bare-headed, and have brought you a scarf.
Come, let me tie it over all these excited little curls, and turn you
into a sober and circumspect young woman."

Anna bent her head and let the princess do as she pleased. "Herr Dellwig
is afraid the fire will spread to the house," she said breathlessly.
"Our engine has only just gone----"

"I heard it."

"It is such a lumbering thing, it will be hours getting there----"

"Oh, not hours. Half a one, perhaps."

"Are they insured?"

"The buildings? They are sure to be. B