What message? She refrained from asking. If he had meant her to understand more fully he would have told her plainly. Light would come in its own time. "I promise," was all she said. They looked at the great tower; the sun had left some of the windows and in one they could see the figure of a woman standing there in some light dressing-gown. "That is Harietta Boleski," Verisschenzko remarked, his mood changing, and that penetrating and yet inscrutable expression growing in his regard. "It is almost too far away to be certain, but I am sure that it is she. Am I right? Is that window in her room?" "Yes--how wonderful of you to be able to recognise her at that distance!" "Of what is she thinking?--if one can call her planning thoughts! She does not gaze at views to appreciate the loveliness of the landscape; figures in the scene are all which could hold her attention--and those figures are you and me." "Why should we interest her?" "There are one or two reasons why we should. I think after all you must be very careful of her. I believe if she stays on in England you had better not let the acquaintance increase." "Very well." Amaryllis again did not question him; she felt he knew best. "She has been most successful here, and at the Bridgeborough ball she amused herself with a German officer, and left the other women's men alone. He was brought by the party from Broomgrove and was most _empresse;_ he got introduced to her at once--just after we came in. I expect they will bring him to-night. He and she looked such a magnificent pair, dancing a quadrille. It was quite a serious ball to begin with! None of those dances of which you disapprove, and all the Yeomanry wore their uniforms and the German officer wore his too." "He was a fine animal, then?" "Yes--but?" "You said _a pair_--only an animal could make a pair with Harietta! Describe him to me. What was he like? And what uniform did he wear?" Amaryllis gave a description, of height, and fairness, and of the blue and gold coat. "He would have been really good-looking, only that to our eyes his hips are too wide." "It sounds typically German--there are hundreds such there--some ordinary Prussian Infantry regiment, I expect. You say he was introduced to Harietta? They were not old friends--no?" "I heard him ask Mrs. Nordenheimer, his hostess, who she was, in his guttural voice, and Mrs. Nordenheimer came up to me and presented him and asked me to introduce him to my guest. So I did. The Nordenheimers are those very rich German Jews who bought Broomgrove Park some years ago. Every one receives them now." "And how did Harietta welcome this partner?" "She looked a little bored, but afterwards they danced several times together."