thing in her ear, and she laughed softly back at him.
The Prince, with the evening paper in his hand, escaped from the box,
and found a retired spot where he could read the little paragraph at his
leisure. Lady Carey pretended to be absorbed by the music.

"Has anything happened, Victor?" Lucille whispered.

He hesitated.

"Well, in a sense, yes," he admitted. "I appear to have become unpopular
with our friend, the Prince. Duson, who has always been a spy upon my
movements, was entrusted with a little sleeping draught for me, which he
preferred to take himself. That is all."

"Duson is--"

He nodded.

"He is dead!"

Lucille went very pale.

"This is horrible!" she murmured

"The Prince is a little annoyed, naturally," Mr. Sabin said. "It is
vexing to have your plans upset in such a manner."

She shuddered.

"He is hateful! Victor, I fear that he does not mean to let me leave
Dorset House just yet. I am almost inclined to become, like you, an
outcast. Who knows--we might go free. Bloodshed is always avoided as
much as possible, and I do not see how else they could strike at me.
Social ostracism is their chief weapon. But in America that could not
hurt us."

He shook his head.

"Not yet," he said. "I am sure that Saxe Leinitzer is not playing the
game. But he is too well served here to make defiance wise."

"You run the risk yourself," she protested.

He smiled.

"It is a different matter. By the bye, we are overheard."

Lady Carey had forgotten to listen any more to the music. She was
watching them both, a steely light in her eyes, her fingers nervously
entwined. The Prince was still absent.

"Pray do not consider me," she begged. "So far as I am concerned, your
conversation is of no possible interest. But I think you had better
remember that the Prince is in the corridor just outside."

"We are much obliged to you," Mr. Sabin said. "The Prince may hear every
word I have to say about him. But all the same, I thank you for your
warning."

"I fear that we are very unsociable, Muriel," Lucille said, "and, after
all, I should never have been here but for you."

Lady Carey turned her left shoulder upon them.

"I beg," she said, "that you will leave me alone with the music. I
prefer it."

The Prince suddenly stood upon the threshold. His hand rested lightly
upon the arm of another man.

"Come in, Brott," he said. "The women will be charmed to see you. And I
don't suppose they've read your spee