on the ground that Germany and England had joined
forces in compelling Selpdorf to lessen the heavy taxation with which
Maasau was burdened. Count Sagan had been seen in the city with a
lowering face--ah, yes! it was well known he had a most patriotic
distrust of German interference. Madame de Sagan had quarreled with her
husband because she had insisted on helping Mademoiselle Selpdorf, who
was about to be married to Baron von Elmur, in the choice of her
trousseau. Some excitement was being caused in the Guards' barracks by
the case of Captain Rallywood, whom Count Sagan accused of using his
influence unduly with his brother-officers to forward the projects of
Germany. Some even went so far as to say that he was in arrest, and
others were found who shook their heads and laughed, professing to be
aware of a yet deeper reason for the colonel-in-chief's animosity
against the English captain.

Out of all this chaff the one grain of truth was that Counsellor,
released by Unziar on the authority of a telegram from Rallywood, had
arrived by the first train in the morning and had at once proceeded to
the British Legation. There he found Rallywood waiting for him. 'You
have seen the Chancellor?' asked Counsellor, looking hard at Rallywood,
whose brown face wore a look he had never seen upon it before. 'Why was
I released? Am I already too late?'

'No, you are not too late. You must see the Duke at once. Here are your
despatches. Good-bye, Major, I'll meet you presently.'

'I shall not in all probability see Duke Gustave again. My part is over
and done with. The world, my dear John, never sees a national policy
until it begins to fly. There is no credit for hatching the egg. One
would almost think it hatched of itself. Occasionally the egg is found
to be addled, and then the old birds make away with it in private. But
don't go yet. How have you managed to keep these? What does it mean?'

'It means principally that you must forget you have been robbed, that
Elmur's game is up, and that you were mistaken in your opinion of the
Chancellor.'

Counsellor looked hurriedly through the papers contained in the packet,
'John,' he said suddenly, as he folded up a small sheet of cypher notes,
'you are an infernal liar.'

Rallywood laughed and his spurs jingled as he left the room, glad to
have escaped so cheaply from Counsellor's keen observation. The old
Major went to the window and watched him ride away in the sunshine, a
gallant f