"You are a soldier, sir, and obey the orders you receive," the Grand Duchess interrupted. "That is as it should be, but are you quite sure that you didn't suggest this particular order yourself?" Hagen didn't answer, but the look of hatred he gave me was eloquent enough. The Grand Duchess turned to me sharply and said: "Go and get dressed!" She herself put on a long dark cloak. Then she went to her bureau. I saw her rummage in it and bring out several objects which she slipped into the roomy packets of the cloak. "Herr von Hagen," she said, coming back, "are you to take Monsieur Vignette to the citadel? At what time?" "He must be there at ten o'clock, Your Highness." With a smile of infinite scorn she put her hand on his shoulder. "And so you actually thought," she said, "that I would let you lock him up?" There was overwhelming majesty in her look, her pose, her words. I saw the officer hang his head. He trembled in every limb. "Ludwig von Hagen," she continued, "a certain day, four years ago, I learned that an officer of the 7th Hussars had cheated at cards. It meant death and dishonour to him. The next day that officer's debts were paid, the affair was hushed up and he himself, selected by me for my orderly officer, astonished the whole garrison by his strange and rapid change of fortune. Remarks were passed to which I paid no attention. You know yourself that the sole motive of my action was my wish to rescue from infamy a brave young man, who bore a great name and in whom I believed. "He, on the other hand," she said, pointing to me, "not only owes me nothing, but indeed suffered at first from my indifference, nay, scorn, the result of unworthy suspicions. He never showed any resentment. Quietly, secretly he has been working for me. Perhaps he himself does not know the full meaning of what he has done. But he certainly knew he was risking his life. And now the man who owes me everything has come to arrest the man to whom I owe everything!" Tears ran down the face of the little hussar. "What do you wish me to do?" he murmured in a tremulous, hoarse voice. "I want you to pay the debt you owe me," replied Aurora. "The time has come and you cannot complain, for you have brought it on yourself." "Give your orders," he said. "I will obey." "Go downstairs and begin by sending your men away. Find some pretext which won't be awkward for you later on. "Now go to the garage," she said, when he came back. "There are still some chauffeurs about. Make them get out the big grey with a full supply of petrol. Don't light the lamps. Bring it down below yourself. It is now twenty minutes to nine. Be there at ten to." Aurora laid a map out on the table and studied it. "It's obviously shorter by Aix-la-Chapelle and Belgium," she murmured, "but I know the Wiesbaden-Thionville route better." "Are you ready?" she said. "What are you going to do?" I asked. "Take you back to France, of course." She added: