nfer," with a smile, "that you will leave her after. Go to her as a
master; that is the way a woman loves to be wooed. Marry her and be
happy; and I shall come and say, 'Heaven bless you, my children.' I
have accepted the renunciation of her claims so that she may be free to
wed you. If you do not find her, I will. Since I have her promise to
teach me the lesson of being a Princess, she cannot have gone far. And
when you are married you will promise to visit me often? I shall be
very lonely now; I shall be far away from my friends; I shall be in a
prison, and men call it a palace."

"I will promise you anything you may ask," I said eagerly. A new hope
and a new confidence had risen in my heart. I wonder where man got the
idea that he is lord of creation when he depends so much upon woman?
"And you will really be my sister, too!" taking her hands and kissing
them. "And you will think of me a little, will you not?"

"Yes." She slowly withdrew her hands. "If you do not find her, write
to me."

"Your Highness, it is my hope that some day you will meet a Prince who
will be worthy of you, who will respect and honor you as I do."

"Who can say? You have promised the King to become a subject of
Hohenphalia."

"Yes."

"Then you will be a subject of mine. It is my will--I am in a
sovereign mood--that you at once proceed to find Hildegarde, and I will
give her to you."

We had arrived at the head of the stairs. The departing light of the
smoldering sun poured through the stained windows. The strands of her
hair were like a thousand flames, and her eyes had turned to gold, and
there was a smile on her lips which filled me with strange uneasiness.
I kissed her hands again, then went down the stairs. At the foot I
turned.

"Auf wiedersehen!"

"Good-by!"

My ear detected the barest falter in her voice, and something glistened
on her eyelashes. . . . Ah! why could not the veil have remained
before my eyes and let me gone in darkness? Suddenly I was looking
across the chasm of years. There was a young girl in white, a table
upon which stood a pitcher. It was a garden scene, and the air was
rich with perfumes. The girl's hair and eyes were brown, and there
were promises of great beauty. Then, as swiftly as it came, the vision
vanished.

On reaching the street I was aware that my sight had grown dim and that
things at a distance were blurred. Perhaps it was the cold air.

CHAPTER XXIV

Imme