She sat down within a hemicycle that formed part of the parapet of the terrace, and motioned Wilfrid to a place beside her. At their back flowed the shining river; before them, and bordering the whole length of the terrace, rose a grove of dark pines whose leaves rippled to the night-breeze. From the far-off ballroom came the faint sound of the orchestral music. Though attentive to every word spoken by the Duchess, Wilfrid, mindful of the four men in the chocolate-coloured liveries, kept a watchful eye upon all sides, though he doubted very much whether the quartette would show themselves so long as he was with her. Now and again groups of laughing masqueraders would make their appearance; and, at their approach, the Duchess either suspended her talk or continued in a whisper till the revellers had gone by. “I am at your service, Lord Courtenay. Question me.” “First, then, explain the puzzling mystery of how I came to save your life without retaining any remembrance of that event.” “That is easily answered. More than eight years ago—I was then a girl of fourteen—my sister and I were staying at the Castle of Silverstein in Saxony. One evening, among other diversions, there happened to be a series of _tableaux vivants_, in one of which my sister and I took part, each clad in the garb of a forester; and,” added the Duchess, with a touch of vanity, “if all that was said of us be true, we made a pair of handsome lads.—The next morning, before breakfast, my sister, always full of mischief, proposed an especial piece of daring. ‘Let us put on the dress we wore in the _tableau vivant_, and take a walk outside the castle grounds.’ I laughingly consented; and, escaping the eyes of our elders, we two girls sallied forth in male garb. The keeper of the lodge, past whom we boldly marched, failed to penetrate our disguise, and doubtless wondered why we laughed so, when at a safe distance from the gate. It was a sunny morning, and we turned our steps to the forest that lay eastward of the castle. Forgetful of time, we wandered onward till at last it began to dawn upon us that we were a long way from home, and were, perhaps, doing a foolish thing, for we now suddenly remembered that a bear had recently been seen in this wood. “Scarcely had the thought seized us when we actually came upon two little black cubs rolling over each other at the foot of a hollow tree. The sight turned our blood cold, for one glance showed that this hollow trunk was a bear’s den, and we did not doubt that its savage tenant was not far off. Then came a heavy pattering upon the fallen leaves, and a moment afterwards the mother bear appeared, growling and making directly for us. Too terrified to move, my sister and I clung to each other, uttering wild screams.” Wilfrid himself could now have related the sequel, but preferred to hear it from her lips. It was a pleasure to listen to her voice. The Duchess saw his smile, and smiled in turn.