To celebrate his Highness's entry into Ludwigsburg, a masked ball had
been commanded to take place on the evening following the arrival of the
court. The Duke and his mistress met at supper after the episode of the
letter, but the Landhofmeisterin avoided his Highness's eye and seemed
absorbed in conversation with Zollern. During the evening she played faro
at her own table, and early took her leave, pleading that she was
fatigued. On the morning of the masked ball his Highness attended a
stag-hunt, and thus it fell out that he and Wilhelmine did not meet to
discuss the vexed question of the letter.

The beautiful ballroom at Ludwigsburg was brilliantly illuminated by a
thousand waxen tapers which burned in the huge crystal chandeliers. The
Landhofmeisterin's own musicians discoursed rhythmical strains from the
gallery, and a gay motley crowd moved on the inlaid polished floor. There
were dominoes of every colour, bizarre, fantastic shapes; and somehow
this masked assemblage had a strangely sinister appearance, a mysterious
lurking menace seemed to emanate from it.

The Landhofmeisterin was easily recognisable from her great height. For a
moment she had contemplated dressing in man's clothes, but Serenissimus
had dissuaded her. The Duke's domino was of 'Graevenitz yellow' of the
same hue as that of the Landhofmeisterin. Madame de Ruth had refused to
go masked.

'My old face is mask enough,' she said; and Zollern, delighted to escape
the ordeal of a travesty, had declared he would keep his old friend
company. So the two sat together and made merry over the grotesque
appearance of the other guests.

At first, many had approached the undominoed couple and, under cover of
carnival licence, some had ventured to say sharp things to the old
courtesan, but each in turn retired discomfited before the sting of
Madame de Ruth's quick wit. The Landhofmeisterin stood near to her
friend. She felt strangely lonely in this disguised crowd, and
Serenissimus held aloof from her. She saw him exchanging compliments with
a light blue domino, from whose supple movements Wilhelmine guessed to be
a young and graceful woman.

A sudden wave of jealous fear invaded the Landhofmeisterin's heart. And
leaving her safe place behind Madame de Ruth and Zollern, she walked out
into the crowd of revellers. Instantly several masks left the dancing,
laughing, whirling main stream and approached the newcomer. 'Fair mask,
come tread a measure!' 'Do you