ned to you, my Princess
Sweetheart, if I hadn't come to Edelweiss. No; I would not have found
you." Feeling her tremble in his arms, he went on with whimsical good
humour: "You would have been eaten up by the ogre long before this. Or,
perhaps, you would have succeeded in becoming a countess."

"As it is, I shall be a baroness."

"In Graustark, but not in New York. That reminds me. You'll be more than
a baroness--more than a princess. You will be a queen. Don't you catch
the point? You will be Mrs. King."

* * * * *

The Grand Duke Paulus was distinctly annoyed. He had travelled many
miles, endured quite a number of hardships, and all to no purpose. When
dawn came, his emissaries returned from the city with the lamentable
information that the government had righted itself, that Marlanx's
sensational revolution was at an end, and that the regents would be
highly honoured if his Excellency could overlook the distressingly
chaotic conditions at court and condescend to pay the Castle a visit.
The regents, the Prince and the citizens of Graustark desired the
opportunity to express their gratitude for the manner in which he had
voluntarily (and unexpectedly) come to their assistance in time of
trouble. The fact that he had come too late to render the invaluable aid
he so nobly intended did not in the least minimise the volume of
gratefulness they felt.

The Grand Duke admitted that he was at sea, diplomatically. He was a
fifth wheel, so to speak, now that the revolution was over. Not so much
as the tip of his finger had he been able to get into the coveted pie.
There was nothing for him to do but to turn round with his five thousand
Cossacks and march disconsolately across the steppes to an Imperial
railroad, where he could embark for home. However, he would visit the
Castle in a very informal way, extend his congratulations, offer his
services--which he knew would be declined with thanks--and profess his
unbounded joy in the discovery that Graustark happily was so able to
take care of herself. Incidentally, he would mention the bond issue;
also, he would find the opportunity to suggest to the ministry that his
government still was willing to make large grants and stupendous
promises if any sort of an arrangement could be made by which the system
might be operated in conjunction with branch lines of the Imperial
roads.

And so it was that at noon he rode in pomp and splendour through the