the words. "Why should you carry it away?
Don't you love the Emperor, that you would put his face out of sight?"

"Not love _Unser Leo_?" cried the old woman, horrified. "Why, we
worship him, gracious Fraeulein; we would die for him, any day, all of
us mountain people--and yes, all Rhaetians, I believe. I could not
let you go back to your own land with the idea that we do not love the
noblest Emperor country ever had. As for what I said about the
portrait, I didn't know that I spoke aloud, I am so used to mumbling
to myself, since I began to grow deaf and old. But of course, I wished
it put away only because it is such a poor thing, it does _Unser Leo_
no sort of justice. You--you would not recognize him from that
picture, if you were to see him now."

With this excuse, Frau Yorvan hurried out to fetch another dish, which
she said must be ready; to cool her hot face, and to scold herself for
her stupidity, all the way down-stairs.

She was gone some time; and the girl who had, no doubt unwittingly,
occasioned the old woman's uneasiness, took advantage of her absence
to laugh, excited, happy laughter.

"Poor, transparent old dear, so pleased and proud of her great secret,
which she thinks she's keeping so well!" she exclaimed. "I'm sure she
doesn't dream that she's as easy to read as a book with big, big
print. She's in a sad fright now, lest we inconvenient foreigners
should chance upon her grand gentlemen to-morrow, recognize one of
them from the portrait, and spoil his precious incognito."

"Then--you think that _he_ is really here--in this out of the way
eyrie?" half whispered the Grand Duchess.

"I feel sure he is," answered Princess Virginia.

For a moment there was silence. Then said the Grand Duchess, with an
air of resignation, "Well, I suppose we should be glad--since we have
come to Rhaetia for the purpose of--dear me, I can scarcely bring
myself to say it."

"You may say it, since our dear old lamb of a Letitia knows all about
it, and is in with us," returned Virginia. "But--but I truly didn't
expect to find him _here_. One knows he comes sometimes; it's been in
the papers; but this time they had it that he'd gone to make a week's
visit to poor old General von Borslok at the Baths of Melina; and I
thought, before we went to Kronburg with all our pretty letters of
introduction, as he was away from the palace there, it would be
idyllic to use up the time with a visit to Alleheiligen. I don't want
you