breath.

'Then stay in Sagan. If your words carried so long a tag of meaning to
others, you can see that Maasau may have need of all her loyal children
soon.'

'Whom can we trust?' she asked suddenly, almost in a whisper, for Elmur,
seeing her in conversation with Counsellor, now approached with a
ceremonious air.

Counsellor smiled as he stood squarely beside her.

'Choose!' he said, briefly.

'Choose what?' asked Elmur in his most deferential manner.
'Madamoiselle's choice in the most trivial matters is of importance.'

Valerie smiled. Not a trace of disturbance was perceptible in her
manner, and Elmur, noting it, came to the final conclusion that this
girl was not only extraordinarily handsome, but also exceptionally
capable. Having made so grievous a mistake, and taken the punishment of
it, she was still mistress of herself. It was a gallant spirit, and well
worth capturing.

'Major Counsellor has asked me to choose flowers for the ball to-night.
I choose roses. I think it is very nice of me, Major Counsellor, for is
not the rose the emblem of England?' said the girl, with a coquettish
smile at the older man.

Elmur's face clouded. This interfering old fellow had the power of
making friends, which means the power of being a dangerous enemy.

'I had hoped,' he said aloud, 'to have the pleasure of begging
Mademoiselle to accept my flowers.'

'You are too late, Baron; but perhaps you will escort me to the west
tower, where I daresay Madame de Sagan is already waiting for me.'

Counsellor looked after the tall graceful figure of the girl as she
ascended the staircase with Elmur at her side. He could see she was
still laughing and talking to her companion, but her ready parry of the
German's question, including a clear reply to his own, showed him that
the Chancellor's daughter was much more than a mere wilful girl.

'John Rallywood,' he grunted, as he turned away, 'is after all not so
great an ass as he thinks himself.'

An attendant intercepted the German before he regained the hall, after
leaving Valerie with Madame de Sagan.

'My lord desires to speak with your Excellency,' he said.

Elmur frowned. He wished to allow Count Simon time to cool before
meeting him, but this summons was imperative, and, besides, he knew the
danger of failing to provide a safety-valve in the shape of a listener,
before the Count could blow off the first ebullitions of rage over
Mdlle. Selpdorf's untoward speech. If pent