s;
or court news, which is invariably false?"

"Let us have scandal, then."

"Ah! I must refer you to the soul of honor."

"Who," answered Steinmetz, "in that official capacity is necessarily
deaf, and in a private capacity is naturally dull."

He was looking very hard at De Chauxville, as if he was attempting to
make him understand something which he could not say aloud. De
Chauxville, from carelessness or natural perversity, chose to ignore the
persistent eyes.

"Surely the news is from London," he said lightly; "we have nothing from
Paris."

He glanced at Steinmetz, who was frowning.

"I can hardly tell you stale news that comes from London via Paris, can
I?" he continued.

Steinmetz was tapping impatiently on the floor with his broad boot.

"About whom--about whom?" cried the countess, clapping her soft hands
together.

"Well, about Prince Paul," said De Chauxville, looking at Steinmetz with
airy defiance.

Steinmetz moved a little. He placed himself in front of Catrina, who had
suddenly lost color. She could only see his broad back. The others in
the room could not see her at all. She was rather small, and Steinmetz
hid her as behind a screen.

"Ah!" he said to the countess, "his marriage! But Madame the Countess
assuredly knows of that."

"How could she?" put in De Chauxville.

"The countess knew that Prince Paul was going to be married," explained
Karl Steinmetz very slowly, as if he wished to give some one time. "With
such a man as he, 'going to be' is not very far from being."

"Then it is an accomplished fact?" said the countess sharply.

"Yesterday," answered Steinmetz.

"And you were not there!" exclaimed Countess Lanovitch, with uplifted
hands.

"Since I was here," answered Steinmetz.

The countess launched into a disquisition on the heinousness of marrying
any but a compatriot. The tone of her voice was sharp, and the volume of
her words almost amounted to invective. As Steinmetz was obviously not
listening, the lady imparted her views to the Baron de Chauxville.

Steinmetz waited for some time, then he turned slowly toward Catrina
without actually looking at her.

"It is dangerous," he said, "to stay in this warm room with your furs."

"Yes," she answered, rather faintly; "I will go and take them off."

Steinmetz held the door open for her, but he did not look at her.

CHAPTER XVI

THE THIN END

"But I confess I cannot understand why I should not be called the
P