"Since your Highness has not yet publicly avowed yourself a Catholic, you are free to deny that you are one. Act diplomatically. Publicly attend the services of the Greek basilica; privately have your own oratory in the palace here. The Pope will doubtless grant you a dispensation to this effect." "No more such counsel, I pray you," said Barbara, coldly. "I am a Catholic, not a Jesuit." "Your Highness corrects me with admirable judgment," returned Zabern, who made a point of always agreeing with his sovereign, for by such course he usually contrived to secure his own way in the end. "Our representative proceeds to say," remarked the premier, referring again to his despatch, "that the Czar's words and manner were regarded by all the ambassadors present as a distinct menace to your Highness. 'The annexation of the principality,' and '_Finis Czernovæ_' passed from lip to lip." "Czernova has survived many similar threats," said Barbara disdainfully. "It is the contention of the Czar and his ministers," pursued the premier, "that as a Catholic your Highness is precluded from reigning. We would not alarm your Highness unnecessarily, but we cannot disguise the fact that we are approaching a very grave crisis." "Be it so," replied Barbara, firmly. "My faith is dearer to me than crown or life. I shall not change it to please the Czar." Radzivil looked the picture of melancholy at this avowal. "As the Czar has promised to send an envoy," remarked Zabern, "your Highness will, of course, delay your answer till his arrival?" To this Barbara assented. "And in the interval," smiled Zabern cynically,--he was never happier than when opposing Russian designs,--"we will set the jurists to work to discover whether they cannot put upon the coronation-oath an interpretation different from that taken by the Czar. We will appeal to the decision of the other Powers; they being interested in opposing Russian aggrandizement will readily lay hold of any ambiguity in the wording of the oath." After a brief interval of silence the princess, knitting her brows into a frown, said,-- "How comes the Czar to be aware of that which I revealed to my cabinet under pledge of secrecy?" The two ministers interchanged significant looks. "The statement we are about to make," began Radzivil, "is of so distasteful, so startling a character that we have hitherto withheld it from your Highness, hoping that it might prove false. In vain, however. We can no longer blind ourselves to the fact that there is a traitor in the cabinet." "A traitor!" ejaculated Barbara. "Reluctantly we are forced to this conclusion. Secrets discussed in the privacy of our council-chamber have been reported to the ministers of the Czar. The previous letters of our ambassador leave no doubt on this melancholy question." Here the premier began to read various extracts, all tending to prove his statement.