eply on the day of the review,
that nothing further was to be hoped for in that direction.

For this reason the German party was obliged to fall back on Count
Sagan. That he was untrammelled by principle, and was, moreover,
prepared to meet them half-way, rendered their schemes no whit safer.
The only hope of security lay in clinching the matter as quickly as it
was possible to do so. Once the German grasp had been fairly laid upon
the State, the nominal sovereign might struggle as he liked, he could
hurt no one but himself.

M. Selpdorf's chief contribution towards the new plot--which was to be
carried out at the Count's own fortress, the Castle of Sagan--consisted
in sending an urgent letter after his daughter, begging her to fall in
with von Elmur's wishes.

Valerie received the letter in Madame de Sagan's apartments. The
Countess lay on a couch, reading a French novel and yawning.

'What a devoted papa!' she exclaimed, glancing up.

Valerie did not immediately reply. She was standing at the deep embayed
window that looked out towards the river and the apparently endless
desolation beyond. She only moved very slightly, thereby turning her
back even more completely upon her companion. The girl had not lived so
long in an atmosphere of diplomacy without learning the wisdom of
keeping her own counsel.

She had for some time been aware of Baron von Elmur's admiration, but
only of late had he seemed anxious to make his aspirations manifest to
the public--a much more significant fact. For the German was in one way
a universal admirer, he made qualified love to most of the good-looking
ladies about the Court, and also, perhaps, more pointedly, to some who
were not so good-looking, thus gaining much profit and some pleasure.
His high-shouldered, portly, personable figure, his handsome face with
its close-set narrow eyes, rose before Valerie's mental eye. Her future
husband? How absurd, how impossible! And she suddenly laughed a soft,
throaty ripple of laughter.

Isolde moved noiselessly, and coming behind Valerie, caught her by the
shoulders and swung her half round.

'What are you laughing at?' she asked over the girl's shoulder.

Valerie moved away gently from under the slender hands.

'Can you imagine yourself in love with Baron von Elmur?' she asked.

'Were you laughing at that?' inquired the other incredulously.

'Yes,' with another little laugh.

'Ah! the devoted papa has been writing of Baron von Elmur?