dish lords
laboring, as I am well informed from good sources. At all events let
there be a change in the government, and there may be also a change of
feeling in relation to Goertz, to his advantage.'

'I doubt that,' observed Arwed. 'Though the contending parties may
oppose each other ever so bitterly on other subjects, all unite in
their hatred of the foreigner. He is the common enemy against whom they
all, as one man, array themselves.'

'You shall not thus frivolously deprive me of my best joy,' said
Conradi, struck by the weight of his objection.

'All your suppositions,' continued Arwed, 'are founded upon the
hypothesis that the queen will persevere in maintaining her hereditary
right. But she will not persevere. As soon as it clearly appears to her
that she can purchase the crown only at this price, she will become an
elective queen, or charity queen, or whatever else it may please the
diet to name her.'

'Do you think so?' asked Conradi with alarm.

'Has she not already yielded the sovereignty?' asked Arwed. 'She who
can lend herself to become a state puppet, to be decked out with crown
and sceptre on festival days, that the people may imagine they have a
queen, will, not be obstinate upon minor points. Let her but retain the
title of queen, and that will be enough for a vain-glorious woman.'

'Destroy not so cruelly my last air-built castle, Arwed!' said
Georgina, stepping out of her chamber, her eyes red with weeping. 'I
have enjoyed to-day the first cheerful moment for months, through the
intelligence brought me by the good Conradi, and your contradiction of
it cuts me to the heart.'

'Do not lose courage yet, baroness!' said Conradi, consolingly.
'Notwithstanding the captain despairs of every thing, the anchor of my
hopes still holds fast in this tempest. Let the _plenum plenorum_ be
only once held, and then will Gyllenstierna hold another language.'

'Then may we very soon expect their decision,' said Arwed. 'The _plenum
plenorum_ is already organized. May its deliberations result
differently from my anticipations!'

'Organized to-day?' asked Conradi with great astonishment. 'I thought
that to-day would be occupied in examining credentials and establishing
forms of procedure.'

'That had been previously done,' answered Arwed. 'I know for a
certainty, by means of my father's secretary, that the full action of
the diet commences to-day.'

'Then count Tessin has not dealt fairly with me,' murmure