The Princess Dehra

slept with his fathers, and Dehra, his

befit a king-within, the gorgeous uniforms and vestments, the chanting priests, the floating incense; without, the boom of ca

. And, at the dead's own express behest, even these had vanished on the fifteenth day after his demise. "Let the period of mourning be limited strictly to a fortnight, both for the Nation and my House," he had written, in his own hand, as a codicil to his Testament; and t

nlitz its gayety and pleasures. Yet Valeria was sorry enough at Frederick's demise-sorrier far than he would have believed it could be. At the bes

ey were met with the amazing Proclamation of Dehra's Regency; with the resu

He had paid his brief visit of condolence to the Princess and had been greeted by her with calm and formal dignity. He had made his call of ceremony upon the Governor of Dornlitz-the Archduke Armand-and had been received by him in the presence of half his Staff. Then, after the funeral of the dead King, he had settled down to wait the

f having seen the Book and what Frederi

harmed by the shot sent after him, he leaped the low wall into the park, where among the trees and bushes, he had little difficulty in escaping. The matter was duly reported to the officer of the day and an entry made of it, but as such

bout the Court-a spoiled, impudent and lying knave. Busy with the royal funeral, and the great crowds it brought to the Capital, the police gave the matter scant regard-the fellow was known to them as a night prowler and a frequenter of questionable resorts, and to have had numerous escapades with married women; and the autopsy indicating he had been dead

for the public-and the information was casually given out that the King's valet was so distressed, by h

of Lotzen, still captivated, doubtless, by the very debo

her better judgment, had consented, though only upon condition that they two should first make a thorough search of her father's apartments, which they did the following morning; she even climbing up and looking behind the large pi

tself was now the most unreasonable place, ye

o bring the American Ambassador with him-unless Mr. Courtney would object to being with Helen Radnor-and that the day being very warm they would be served under the trees near t

el Bernheim stood in the doorway,

the desk put down a small packa

aid, "here is t

leaned back

y as though it were my ca

d of Lotzen is in Dornlitz

tru

quite safe so long as it lasted;

rprise me," said Armand.

y of wine, at the Club-and then putt

hook his head

pair," he said. "You think for

nheim's stern mouth

think at all; you leave it to Lotzen." He pushed th

anship; pliable as silk and scarcely more bulky, the tiny steel links so cunningly joined they had the appearance of dark gray cloth. He bent and twisted it in admiring contemplation. Verily, those armorers of old Milan understood their a

well that night

lways does;" he smiled-and the old Aide

s a Masque for Lotze

ouldn't have me wea

n seriously-"but at

vest back on the

n't safe here-nor in my house, nor on the

hrugged hi

It's always Hell where Lotzen plays. Sur

the atmosphere; yet now, in Dornlitz of the twentieth century-I can't bri

t not a bomb-it is not

at him in puzz

-he murders artistically

least messy is a neat hole through the he

lectric cars were speeding down the avenue-an

k! isn't it absurd to

en does not belong yonder-he i

l keep my eyes open and take my chances. I don't believe

t shone in th

ir," he said, "but I wouldn't play with

The case isn't e

:-the tiger mig

e letter knife and slowly

into the tiger's

y cage-the beas

ow Lotzen has got on your ner

, sir, that he has

mand kindly, "will be time

t and deliberately la

nd"-turning to a picture of the Princess, which hung on t

at the picture in

Epsau," he said; "I wi

the sometimes-though as even that was more tha

was the first time they had been together, informally, since the King's death, but beyond the usual friendly greeting and an occasional word en route there was no conver

before you go back to town,"

nodded comp

ou wish, my b

is aid. She had not forgot the part he had played in the recent past; that but for him there would be no Archduke Armand; that, indeed, it was this quiet diplomat whom she had to thank for the happiest days of her life, and the happy prospect for the day

wo men crossed the terrace and came toward them, she had told Lady Helen Radnor, with the smiling frankness of a comrade, that if she s

nded, she dismissed the serv

mething for Arm

ough?" he said, looking at her with a significant s

d, catching his humor, "so do this

n I do?"

s birthright; don't let him fling it aside in

him firm-it's the only way he can make you Queen." He paused and tapped his cigarette meditative

bsolute

to find the Book-that shou

it shouldn't-b

ery positiv

n's int

d. "Which isn'

And without waiting for his answer she turned to the Archduke. "Armand," sh

lready knows it, my dear-it's

s," she retorted, "never to betray that

-"I assure you he will learn in time.... Mean

ss," he remarked, in a confidential whisper, "but he really m

old chap; the story