ike in the mid-morning's sun, and the long,
half-circling ribbon of a road. He sighed, and the horse cocked his ears
at the sound.

No longer did Carmichael take the south pass for his morning rides.
That was the favored going of her highness, and he avoided her now. In
truth, he dared not meet her now; it would have been out of wisdom. So
long as she had been free his presence had caused no comment, only
tolerant amusement among the nobles at court. It chafed him to be
regarded as a harmless individual, for he knew that he was far from
being in that class. There was a wild strain in him. Dreiberg might have
waked up some fine morning to learn that for a second time her princess
had been stolen, and that there was a vacancy in the American consulate.
How many times had he been seized with the mad desire to snatch the
bridle of her horse and ride away with her into a far country! How often
had his arms started out toward her, only to drop stiffly to his sides!

March hares! They were Solons as compared with his own futile madness.
But it was different now. She was to marry the king of Jugendheit; it
was in the order of things that he ride alone. He knew that court
etiquette demanded the isolation of the Princess Hildegarde from male
escort other than that formally provided. The two soldiers detailed to
act as her grooms or bodyguards were not, of course, to be considered.
So, of the morning, he went down to the military field to watch the
maneuvers, which were drawing to a close; or rode out to the frontier,
or took the side road to Eissen, where the summer palaces were. But it
was all dreary; the zest of living had somehow dropped out of things.

The road to Eissen began about six miles north of the base of the
Dreiberg mountain. It swerved to the east. As Carmichael reached the
fork his horse began to limp. He jumped down and removed the stone. It
was then that he heard the far-off mutter of hoofs. Coming along the
road from Eissen were a trio of riders. Carmichael laughed weakly.

"I swear to Heaven that this is no fault of mine!"

Should he mount and be off before she made the turn? Bah! It was an
accident; he would make the most of it. The bodyguard could easily
vindicate him, in any event. He remounted and waited.

She came in full flight, rosy, radiant, as lovely as Diana. Carmichael
swung his cap boyishly; and there was a swirl of dust as she drew up.

"Good morning, Herr Carmichael!"

"Good morning, your