[Footnote 27: _Apafiné_ = Lady Apafi. The "né" is a feminine suffix.] The Prince read the name aloud. All who stood around looked at Apafi's face with fearful suspense, as if they expected an explosion of wrath. To every one's surprise, however, the Prince only smiled, stuck the pocket-handkerchief into Monsieur Reverend's kalpag, cocked it rakishly on the ambassador's head, and said to him with peculiar _bonhomie_-- "So you have succeeded in seducing my wife, eh?" Reverend laughed awkwardly at what was a rather ambiguous jest so far as he was concerned. "Me, however, you shall not seduce," added Apafi, smiling. Reverend bowed deeply; then, throwing back his head, he observed archly-- "That will be brought about also, I hope, though by mightier than I." At that moment the door opened and a servant announced--"Her Highness, Dame Anna of Bornemissa, his Highness's consort, desires an audience of the Prince." Apafi looked at Teleki. "This is all your doing." Teleki calmly replied--"It is, your Highness." "You have besieged us in form?" "I do not deny it, your Highness." "It was you who brought the ambassador to the Princess?" "Such is indeed the case, your Highness." "And it was you who then advised him to present himself in this masquerade in order to lure me hither more easily?" "I did it all, your Highness." "Then you have done a very foolish thing, Master Michael Teleki." "That remains to be seen, your Highness," replied the minister proudly, conscious of his own intellectual superiority. Meanwhile Dame Apafi had entered the room; her princely robes well became her princely aspect. All the gentlemen present hastened forward to do her homage. But Apafi also advanced quickly towards her, put his arm through hers, and with marked tenderness endeavoured to lead her into his cabinet. "No; let us remain here," cried the Princess; "there will be plenty of time later on to look at your Dutch clocks. Far more serious matters claim our attention first. These gentlemen from Hungary desire an audience." Apafi exploded at once. "I know beforehand what they want, and I have declared once for all that I will hear no more of the matter." "But you will surely listen to me. I too am an Hungarian woman, and in the name of my fatherland I implore the Prince of Transylvania for help. None shall say that I rule the Prince in secret. Look now, I advance openly before his throne, and I beg of him protection for Hungary, whose sons are called strangers in Transylvania, though I, her daughter, am the Princess." From Apafi's looks it was clear that he would much rather have listened to the Hungarian gentlemen than to his own consort. But he was caught in a trap. She stood before him as a petitioner. There was no escape.