hrown herself into the sea!" answered the young
prince.

And for the first time of his life, he felt afraid of those depths,
which meant death. Unconsciously they went on, on, on....

"Let's go back," said Othomar.

Nevertheless they continued to go on; they could not give in....

Then a scream sounded over the water: they started, but at first saw
nothing.

"Did you hear?" asked Christofel, turning pale, thinking of ghostly
legends of the sea.

"A sea-mew, I expect," said Othomar, listening, however.

The scream was repeated.

"There, don't you see something?" asked Christofel, pointing.

He pointed to a long streak that came surging over the water.

Othomar shook his head:

"No, that's impossible!" he said. "It's a fisher-lad."

"No, no, it's a rowing-boat!" cried Christofel.

They said nothing more, they ran along. The streak became plainer: a
gig; the scream rang out again, piercingly.

"My God!... Valerie!" shouted Othomar.

She called back a few words; he only partly understood them. She was
rowing not far from the shore towards the castle. Othomar took off his
coat, his shoes, his socks, turned up his trousers, his shirt-sleeves.

"Take those with you," he cried to Christofel, "and go back to the
castle, tell them...."

He ran on his bare feet over the rocks and into the sea, flung himself
into the water, swam out to the boat. It was very difficult for him to
climb into the little gig without capsizing it. It lurched madly to
right and left; however, with a single, quick, light movement, Othomar
managed to jump in.

"I give up...." said Valerie, faintly.

She let go the sculls; he seized them and rowed on. For an instant she
fell against him, but then sat up straight, so as not to hamper him.

5

The young archduchess did not appear at luncheon; she was asleep. Not
long before dinner--it was raining and the queen was taking tea in the
hall with the princesses, the aunts, the children--she appeared. She
looked rather pale; her face was a little drawn, her eyes strangely wide
and burning. She was wearing a simple summer costume of some soft,
pale-lilac material, with two white ribbons tied round her waist; the
colour went well with her strange hair, which now looked brown and then
again seemed auburn. The queen held out her hand to Valerie, shook her
head and said:

"You naughty girl! How you frightened us!"

Valerie kissed the queen on the forehead:

"Forgive me, aunt. The wind