upid dunce that you are."

"Is it true? Will you swear it's true?" cried the Prince, dropping the
packet and going hastily toward the girl. Miss Jennie stood with her
back to the wall, and putting her hands behind her, she said,--

"No, no; you are not going to touch me again. Of course it's true, and
if you had the sense of a six-year-old child, you would have seen it
long ago; and she paid sixty thousand pounds of your gambling debts,
too."

"What are you talking about? The Princess has never given me a penny of
her money; I don't need it. Goodness knows, I have money enough of my
own."

"Well, Cadbury Taylor said that you--Oh, I'll warrant you, it is like
all the rest of his statements, pure moonshine."

"Of whom are you speaking? And why did my wife protect that wretch whom
she knows has stolen her diamonds?"

"You mean von Schaumberg?"

"Yes."

"I believe the Princess does think he stole them, and the reason the
Princess protects him is to prevent you from challenging him, for she
fears that he, being a military man, will kill you, although I fancy she
would be well rid of you."

"But he stole the diamonds--there was nobody else."

"He did nothing of the kind. Read that!"

The Prince, bewildered, took the sheet that she handed to him and read
it, a wrinkle of bewilderment corrugating his brow.

"I don't understand what this has to do with the case," he said at last.
"It seems to be an order on the bank at Vienna for the diamonds, written
by the Princess herself."

"Of course it is. Well, if the diamonds had been delivered, that paper
would now be in the possession of the bank instead of in your hands."

"Perhaps she mislaid this order and wrote another."

"Perhaps. Still it might be worth while finding out."

"Take this, then, to the Princess and ask her."

"It is not likely she would remember. The better plan is to telegraph at
once to the Vienna bank, asking them to send the diamonds to Meran by
special messenger. No one there knows that the diamonds are missing."

"I will do so at once," cried the Prince, with more animation in his
voice than Miss Baxter had previously noticed. His Highness was becoming
interested in the game.

After luncheon the Princess came to Miss Baxter, who was seated at her
desk, and handed her a letter.

"There is an invitation from the Duchess of Chiselhurst for a grand ball
she is shortly to give in her London house. It is to be a very swell
affair, but I don'