, and that she knew perfectly well; so
in order to avoid a catastrophe, the consequences of which might be
incalculable for her, she did not let him notice the change in her
feelings towards him at first, and kept the Italian, who belonged to
her, at a proper distance.

When peace had been concluded, and the great, peaceful revolution, which
found its provisional settlement in the Constitution of February and in
the Hungarian agreement, began in Austria, the Hungarian refugees
determined to send Count T---- to Hungary, that he might assume the
direction of affairs there. But as he was still an outlaw, and as the
death sentence of Arab hung over his head like the sword of Damocles, he
consulted with Wanda about the ways and means of reaching his fatherland
unharmed and of remaining there undiscovered. Although that clever woman
thought of a plan immediately, yet she told Count T---- that she would
think the matter over, and she did not bring forward her proposition for
a few days, which was then, however, received by the Count and his
friends with the highest approval, and was immediately carried into
execution. Frau von Chabert went to Vienna as Marchioness Spinola, and
T---- accompanied her as her footman; he had cut his hair short, and
shaved off his beard; so that in his livery, he was quite
unrecognizable. They passed the frontier in safety, and reached Vienna
without any interference from the authorities; and there they first of
all went to a small hotel, but soon took a small, handsome flat in the
center of the town. Count T---- immediately hunted up some members of his
party, who had been in constant communication with the emigrants, since
Vilagos, and the conspiracy was soon in excellent train, while Wanda
whiled away her time with a hussar officer, without, however, losing
sight of her lover and of his dangerous activity, for a moment, on that
account.

And at last, when the fruit was ripe for falling into her lap, she was
sitting in the private room of the Minister of Police, opposite to the
man with whom she was going to make the evil compact.

"The emigrants must be very uneasy and disheartened at an agreement
with, and reconciliation to, Hungary," he began.

"Do not deceive yourself," Frau von Chabert replied; "nothing is more
dangerous in politics than optimism, and the influence of the
revolutionary propaganda was never greater than it is at present. Do not
hope to conciliate the Magyars by half conce