, that his object was to
consolidate Austria and Hungary? I understood that local politics were
at the bottom of his fiery speech."

"Quite so, but the rousing of the war spirit in Austria and Hungary was
useless unless that spirit is given something to do. It needs a war, not
a threat of war, to consolidate Austria and Hungary. If the speech had
been followed up by hostile action, or by another outburst that would
make war inevitable, I could understand it. The tone of the speech
indicates that the Prime Minister meant business at the time he gave
utterance to it. Something has occurred meanwhile to change the
situation, and what that something is, all the newspapers in Europe have
been trying to find out. We have had our regular Vienna representative
at work ever since the words were uttered, and for the past two weeks
he has been assisted by one of the cleverest men I could send him from
London; but up to date, both have failed. Now I propose that you go
quietly to Vienna; I shall not let either of the men know you are
investigating the affair at which they have laboured with such little
success; for both are good men, and I do not want to discourage either
of them; still, above all things, I wish to have the solution of this
mystery. So it occurred to me last night that you might succeed where
others had failed. What do you think of it?"

"I am willing to try," said Miss Baxter, as there flashed across her
mind an idea that here was a case in which the Princess von Steinheimer
could be of the greatest assistance to her.

"It has been thought," went on the editor, "that the Emperor is
extremely adverse to having trouble with England or any other country.
Still, if that were the case, a new Cabinet would undoubtedly have been
formed after this intemperate address of the Premier; but this man still
holds his office, and there has been neither explanation nor apology
from Court or Cabinet. I am convinced that there is something behind all
this, a wheel within a wheel of some sort, because, the day after the
speech, there came a rumour from Vienna that an attempt had been made on
the life of the Emperor or of the Premier; it was exceedingly vague, but
it was alleged that a dynamite explosion had taken place in the
palace. This was promptly contradicted, but we all know what official
contradictions amount to. There is internal trouble of some kind at
the Court of Vienna, and if we could publish the full details, such an