r on his guard; he
would, he must know if he had been betrayed; he must have absolute
certainty. He stood concealed behind the curtains of his window,
and looked down into the garden. His eyes were fixed with a glowing,
consuming expression upon the princess, who, with one of her ladies, now
passed before his window and looked up, but she could not see him, he
was completely hidden behind the heavy silk curtains.

The princess passed on, convinced that if her husband had been in his
room, he would have come forward to greet her.

The prince wished her to come to this conclusion. "Now," thought he,
"she feels secure; she does not suspect I am observing her, at last I
may find an opportunity to become convinced."

Count Kalkreuth was there; he had gone down into the garden. He advanced
to meet the princess, they greeted each other, but in their simple,
accustomed manner, he, the count, respectfully and ceremoniously--the
princess dignified, careless, and condescending. And now they walked
near each other, chatting, laughing, charmingly vivacious, and excited
by their conversation.

The prince stood behind his curtain with a loudly-beating heart,
breathless from anxiety; they came nearer; she led the way to the little
lake whose smooth and frozen surface shone like a mirror. The count
pointed to the lake, and seemed to ask a question; the princess nodded
affirmatively, and turning to her ladies, she spoke a few words; they
bowed and withdrew.

"They are going to skate," murmured the prince. "She has sent her ladies
to bring her skates; she wishes to be alone with the count."

Breathless, almost in death-agony, he watched them; they stood on
the borders of the lake, and talked quietly. The expressions of their
countenances were unchanged, calm, and friendly; they were certainly
speaking of indifferent things. But what means that? The princess
dropped her handkerchief, seemingly by accident. The count raised it and
handed it to her; she took it and thanked him smilingly, then in a
few moments she put her hand, with a sudden movement, under her velvet
mantle. The prince cried out; he had seen something white in her hand
which she concealed in her bosom.

"A letter! a letter!" cried he, in a heart-breaking tone, and like a
madman pursued by furies, he rushed out.

The Princess Wilhelmina was in the act of having her skates fastened on
by her maid, when Prince Henry advanced with hasty steps from the alley
which led t