Produced by Suzanne Shell, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: NATALIE VSESLAVITCH _From a miniature in the Verdayne collection._] HIGH NOON A NEW SEQUEL TO "THREE WEEKS" _ANONYMOUS_ NEW YORK THE MACAULAY COMPANY 1911 COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY THE MACAULAY COMPANY * * * * * _FOREWORD_ I must make a confession. It will not be needed by the many thousands who have lived with me the wonderful sunrise of Paul's love, and the sad gray morning of his bereavement. To these friends who, with Paul, loved and mourned his beautiful Queen and their dear son, the calm peace and serenity of the high noon of Paul's life will seem but well-deserved happiness. It is to the others I speak. In life it is rarely given us to learn the end as well as the beginning. To tell the whole story is only an author's privilege. Of the events which made Paul's love-idyl possible, but a mere hint has been given. If at some future time it seems best, I may tell you more of them. As far as Paul himself is concerned, you have had but the first two chapters of his story. Here is the third of the trilogy, his high noon. And with the sun once more breaking through the clouds in Paul's heart, we will leave him. You need not read any more of this book than you wish, since I claim the privilege of not writing any more than I choose. But if you do read it through, you will feel with me that the great law of compensation is once more justified. As sorrow is the fruit of our mistakes, so everlasting peace should be the reward of our heart's best endeavor. Sadness is past; joy comes with High Noon. "The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen!" THE AUTHOR. HIGH NOON CHAPTER I It was Springtime in Switzerland! Once more the snow-capped mountains mirrored their proud heads in sapphire lakes; and on the beeches by the banks of Lake Lucerne green buds were bursting into leaves. Everywhere were bright signs of the earth's awakening. _Springtime in Switzerland!_ And _that_, you know--you young hearts to whom the gods are kind--is only another way of saying _Paradise_!