l events, was still on board. But chance had thwarted
him, and he was making the best of it with characteristic cleverness,
saving his own skin.

Bareheaded, her wondrous auburn hair disordered, her face blurred with
half-dried tears, the poor woman met me half-way, skipping across the
gangway on to the now almost deserted quay.

"Something awful's happened," she gasped.

"What?" I asked, a sudden tightness in my throat.

"That's the worst of it. I don't know. And the County doesn't know."

"Tell me as well as you can."

"Why, we came here on purpose for the Prince to take me to Slosh Hrvoya.
He wanted it so much. Maida had to be along, because it would have made
talk if he and I'd come alone; but her being with us wasn't of any
importance to _him_, he told me so himself. Well, when his automobile
was landed just where we're standing now, I told Maida to get ready and
went to my cabin to get ready myself, but my things were all gone--my
hat and coat, and motor-mask and everything. I thought, I could have
left them in the sallong, though I was sure I hadn't; but I hurried to
look. They weren't there, and I ran back to Maida's door, thinking it
just possible, to play me a trick--as she was cross--she might have
hidden my things while I was on deck. But she'd gone off and the things
were nowhere. At that minute I heard a noise like a motor, and looked
out of my porthole, but already it was out of sight from there, and I
got up on deck again only in time to catch sight of the Prince's
automobile flashing away at about a mile a minute."

"Miss Destrey was in the car?"

"Of course. She was sitting in the tonneau; and it looked as if there
was some one beside the Prince; but Maida was in the way, so I couldn't
make sure, and while I was dodging my head about, trying to see, the
automobile disappeared. Did you ever know anything so horrid? I'm
furious, and I don't know what the Prince must be thinking of me."

I was aghast at this unexpected point of view, but her next words
enlightened me. "It's Maida's fault, I know that, though I don't see how
she managed the thing. She was wild with me because I stood up for the
Prince carrying us off like this, and I suppose she just thought she'd
punish me by somehow cheating me out of the pleasure I'd been looking
forward to. I can't think of anything else, and neither can the County.
He says Maida probably told the Prince that at the last minute I'd
refused to go with him; oth