ine only to hear your description, if you hadn't
just put a maggot in my head that tickles me to laughter instead of
raptures," said the Prince. "Tell me this; has this girl a tiny black
mole just over the left eyebrow--very fetching;--and when she smiles,
does her mouth point upward a bit on the right side, like a fairy
sign-post showing the way to a small round scar, almost as good as a
dimple?"

The Chancellor reflected for a few seconds, and then replied that,
unless his eyesight and his memory had deceived him, both these marks
were to be met with on Miss Mowbray's face. He did not add that he had
seen her but once, and at the time had not taken interest enough to
note details; for it was plain that the Prince had a theory as to the
lady's real identity; and to establish it as a fact might be valuable.

"Is it possible that you've already met this dangerous young person?"
he asked eagerly.

"Well, I begin to believe it may be so. I'll explain why later;
thereby hangs a confession. At all events, a certain lady exactly
answering the description you've given, is very likely in this
neighborhood; I've heard that she was shortly due in Kronburg, and it
was in my mind when deciding suddenly to spend a few days in the woods
for the sake of seeing you, that I might see her also before I went
home again. As a matter of fact, the lady and I have had a
misunderstanding, at a rather unfortunate moment, as I'd just
imprudently taken her into my confidence concerning--er--some family
affairs. If it is she who is masquerading in Rhaetia as Miss Mowbray,
and turning your Emperor's head, it may be that she's trying to
revenge herself on me. She's pretty enough to beguile St. Anthony, let
alone a St. Leopold; and she's clever enough to have thought out such
a scheme. Our small quarrel happened about four weeks ago, and I've
lost sight of the lady since; she disappeared, expecting probably to
be followed; but she wasn't. The only question is, if she's playing
Miss Mowbray, where did she get the mother? I've heard there _is_ a
Mowbray-mother?"

"There's a faded Dresden china shepherdess that answers to the name,"
said the Chancellor, dryly. "But these mantelpiece ornaments are
easily manufactured."

The Prince was amused. "No, she wouldn't stick at a mother, if she
wanted one," he chuckled. "And while she was about it, she has
apparently annexed a whole family tree. The black mole, and the
scar-dimple, you're sure of them, Cha