swered, "and the Count von Reuss. To-day he spoke
to me of love, and spoke it hatefully, shamefully, when the Princess had
bidden me go and carry her message to him. But it was with me that he
desired to meet. And I--at first many days ago--I walked by his side and
listened, for then he spoke courteously and like a gentleman. For you
were on the high terrace, and I wished you to see. I thought--I hoped--"

And the little one broke off with tears.

"I know, I know!" cried I, contritely; "I am a blind, doting fool. In
this Prince's court I thought no more of such dangers than when I had
you safe and innocent, my Playmate of the Red Tower. But what did or
said Von Reuss?"

"Truly he did naught, but only spoke--things for which I would have
smitten him to death had I possessed a dagger. I bade him begone. And he
swore he would execute his purpose yet in spite of every town's
Executioner in the Empire."

"Ah, will he?" said I, a calm chill of hatred settling about my heart.
"I, Hugo Gottfried, will execute him, if I have to send for my father's
Red Axe to do it with--singed and scented monkey that he is."

"Nay," said Helene, "then I wish I had not told you. Perhaps he will not
meddle with me again, and if you cross him he may slay thee. Remember, I
have no friend here but you, Hugo!"

"Count von Reuss slay me! I could eat him up without salt or savory--a
weak reed, a kerl without backbone save of buckram; why, I will shake him
this day like a rat between my hands!"

So I spoke in my anger, hot with myself that I had let the Little
Playmate suffer these things, and resolved that neither Prince nor
Princess would stand between me and my love a moment longer.

But in all lands it takes more than Say-so to budge the stubborn wheels
of circumstance.

CHAPTER XXXI

I FIND A SECOND

I meant to go directly to the Prince in his chamber and tell him that
from this time forth Helene and I had resolved to battle out our lives
together. But it chanced that I passed through the higher terrace on my
way to the lower--a bosky place of woods, where the Prince loved to
linger in of a summer afternoon, drowsing there to the singing of birds
and the falling of waters. For our Karl had tastes quite beyond sour
black Casimir, with his church-yard glooms and raw-bone terrors.

On the upper terrace I found Von Reuss, lolling against the parapet with
other blue flittermice, his peers--he himself no flittermouse, indeed,
but o