door and spoke breathlessly, as if
she as well as the horse had raced.

"I hope I'm not intruding," she said, "but a man north of us told our
Thomas in the village that robbers had taken quite a large sum of
hidden money you held for the county, and church, and of your own, and
your gun, and got away while you were at church last night. Is it
true?"

"Practically," said my father.

Then my mother motioned toward a chair.

"You are kind to come," she said. "Won't you be seated?"

The Princess stepped to the chair, but she gripped the back in both
hands and stood straight, breathing fast, her eyes shining with
excitement, her lips and cheeks red, so lovely you just had to look,
and look.

"No," she said. "I'll tell you why I came, and then if there is
nothing I can do here, and no errand I can ride for you, I'll go.
Mother has heart trouble, the worst in all the world, the kind no
doctor can ever hope to cure, and sometimes, mostly at night, she is
driven to have outside air. Last night she was unusually ill, and I
heard her leave the house, after I'd gone to my room. I watched from
my window and saw her take a seat on a bench under the nearest tree. I
was moving around and often I looked to see if she were still there.
Then the dogs began to rave, and I hurried down. They used to run
free, but lately, on account of her going out, father has been forced
to tie them at night. They were straining at their chains, and barking
dreadfully. I met her at the door, but she would only say some one
passed and gave her a fright. When Thomas came in and told what he had
heard, she said instantly that she had seen the man.

"She said he was about the size of Thomas, that he came from your
direction, that he ran when our dogs barked, but he kept beside the
fences, and climbed over where there were trees. He crossed our
barnyard and went toward the northwest. Mother saw him distinctly as
he reached the road, and she said he was not a large man, he stooped
when he ran, and she thought he moved like a slinking, city thief. She
is sure he's the man who took your money; she says he acted exactly as
if he were trying to escape pursuit; but I was to be SURE to tell you
that he didn't carry a gun. If your gun is gone, there must have been
two, and the other man took that and went a different way. Did two men
stop here?"

"No," said father. "Only one."

The Princess looked at him thoughtfully.

"Do you think, Mr.