"If he is stronger than you, I am half glad that I got the wrong man. You strike a pretty hard blow. But, whether you are the man I want, or not, you will have to remain till this afternoon, when the Count will put in appearance. I daresay it is possible that I have made a mistake. But I could not do otherwise in face of my instructions." "The Princess seems to me more trouble than she is worth." "It is possible that you have never seen her Highness," he said, hinting a smile. "She is worth all the trouble in the world." "If a man loved her," I suggested. "And what man does not who has seen her and talked to her?" he replied, pacing. "The interest, then, you take in her discovery is not all due to that imposed upon you by Count von Walden?" I could not resist this thrust. "The subject is one that does not admit discussion," squaring his shoulders. "Suppose we talk of something that does not concern her? All this is a blunder for which you are partly to blame. I have a bad lump on my head and you have a black eye. But as you did what you believed to be your duty, and as I did what every man does when self-preservation becomes his first thought, let us cry quits. Come, what do you say to a game of cards? Let us play ecarte, or I will teach you the noble game of poker. To tell you the truth, I am becoming dreadfully bored." "Believe me, I bear you no ill will," he said, "and I am inclined to your side of the story. Whoever you are, you have the bearing of a gentleman; and, now that we have come to an understanding, I shall treat you as such. I have a pack of cards downstairs. I'll go and get them. This is not my house, or I should have placed you in better quarters. I shall leave the door unlocked," a question in his eyes. "Rest assured that I shall return to the city as I came--in a carriage. And to be honest, I am anxious to see the Count von Walden, who poses as the Princess's watchdog." And when he came back and found me still sitting on the pallet, his face cleared. We played for small sums, and the morning passed away rather pleasantly than otherwise. The young officer explained to me that he held an important position at court, and that he was entitled to prefix Baron to his name. "The King is getting out of all patience with her Highness," he said. "This makes the second time the marriage has been postponed. Such occurrences are extremely annoying to his Majesty, who does not relish having his commands so flagrantly disregarded. I shouldn't be surprised if he forced her into the marriage." "When he knows how distasteful this marriage is to her, why does he not let the matter go?" "It is too late now. Royalty, having given its word, never retracts it. Events which the King wills must come to pass, or he loses a part of his royal dignity. And then, a King cannot very well be subservient to the will of a subject." "But has she no rights as a petty sovereign?" I asked.