te to her: I must write to her. I wonder if I shall see her
before she departs."

"That is certain if you wish it; she wishes it."

"And when does she go? And who goes with her?"

"She will be under my charge," said Endymion. "It is fortunate that it
should happen at a time when I am free. I am personally to deliver her
to the king. The Duke of St. Angelo, Baron Sergius, and the archbishop
accompany her, and Waldershare, at the particular request of his
Majesty."

"And no lady?"

"She takes Adriana with her."

"Adriana!" repeated Lady Montfort, and a cloud passed over her brow.
There was a momentary pause, and then Lady Montfort said, "I wish she
would take me."

"That would be delightful," said Endymion, "and most becoming--to have
for a companion the greatest lady of our court."

"She will not take me with her," said Lady Montfort, sorrowfully but
decisively, and shaking her head. "Dear woman! I loved her always,
often most when I seemed least affectionate--but there was between us
something"--and she hesitated. "Heigho! I may be the greatest lady of
our court, but I am a very unhappy woman, Endymion, and what annoys and
dispirits me most, sometimes quite breaks me down, is that I cannot see
that I deserve my lot."

It happened as Endymion foresaw; the first announcement came from
abroad. King Florestan suddenly sent a message to his parliament, that
his Majesty was about to present them with a queen. She was not the
daughter of a reigning house, but she came from the land of freedom and
political wisdom, and from the purest and most powerful court in Europe.
His subjects soon learnt that she was the most beautiful of women, for
the portrait of the Countess of Roehampton, as it were by magic, seemed
suddenly to fill every window in every shop in the teeming and brilliant
capital where she was about to reign.

It was convenient that these great events should occur when everybody
was out of town. Lady Montfort alone remained, the frequent, if not
constant, companion of the new sovereign. Berengaria soon recovered her
high spirits. There was much to do and prepare in which her hints
and advice were invaluable. Though she was not to have the honour of
attending Myra to her new home, which, considering her high place in the
English court, was perhaps hardly consistent with etiquette, for so she
now cleverly put it, she was to pay her Majesty a visit in due time. The
momentary despondency that had clouded her b