ar, and Ralph and I drove off together, meaning to make
inquiries in the town.

"Did Miss Beechy's mysterious communication have anything to do with her
cousin?" I couldn't resist asking Ralph, who sat beside me, in that
blessed seat sacred so long to the One Woman.

"Yes, it had," he replied discreetly.

"And with Dalmar-Kalm?"

"Distinctly with Dalmar-Kalm."

That sent some blood up behind my eyes, and I saw Ragusa red, instead of
pink.

"By Jove, you've got to tell me what she did say, now!" I exclaimed.

"Can't, my dear chap. It's a promise--after a confidence. But I don't
mind letting out this much. It seems Miss Beechy has been playing dolls
with us, as she calls it, on this trip, without any of us suspecting
it--or at least seeing the game in its full extent. Owing to her
manipulation of her puppets, there's the dickens to pay, and she thinks
she has reason to know that Dalmar-Kalm had better not be allowed to
take a long excursion with Miss Destrey, even chaperoned by our dear,
wise Countess."

"Good Heavens!" I jerked out. "What do you mean?"

"I don't exactly know myself. Things mayn't be as serious as the little
girl thinks in her present remorseful mood, no doubt intensified by her
late illness. 'When the devil was sick, the devil a monk would be,' you
know--and the rest of it. Still, we're safe in finding out where the
party has gone and taking steps accordingly."

"There's Joseph, mooning about with his hands in his pockets, like a
lost soul," I exclaimed.

"_Have_ lost souls pockets?"

"Shut up. I'm going to catechize him. He rather likes me, and has
several times relieved his mind on the subject of his master, by
spitting venom to his brother chauffeur until I refused to listen."

With this I stopped the car in front of the gaudy shop which had
attracted the dismal little Joseph.

"Is your car mended already?" I asked him in French.

"It was not broken, Monsieur."

"Really. I understood the Prince to say it was."

"I know not what he said. Is there anything that His Highness would not
say, if it pleased him? But so far from the car being injured, I was
kept up most of the night by his command, putting it in the best order,
looking to every nut, seeing that the grease-cups were filled, and
everything as fine as though to try for first prize in a show. This
morning did I get a moment's sleep? On the contrary, I must drive the
automobile at eight o'clock, before any one was up, down to