ered, and then he kissed her--kissed her
twice. He could only look at her; he did not know what to do to succour
her.

At last she opened her eyes and sighed.

'Where am I?' she asked vaguely, in a tremulous tone as she recognized
him. 'Is it you? Did I do anything silly? Did I faint?'

'What has happened? Were you ill?' he questioned anxiously. He was
kneeling at her feet, holding her hand tight.

'I saw Jules by the side of my bed,' she murmured; 'I'm sure I saw him;
he laughed at me. I had not undressed. I sprang up, frightened, but he
had gone, and then I ran downstairs--to you.'

'You were dreaming,' he soothed her.

'Was I?'

'You must have been. I have not heard a sound. No one could have
entered.

But if you like I will wake Mr Racksole.'

'Perhaps I was dreaming,' she admitted. 'How foolish!'

'You were over-tired,' he said, still unconsciously holding her hand.
They gazed at each other. She smiled at him.

'You kissed me,' she said suddenly, and he blushed red and stood up
before her. 'Why did you kiss me?'

'Ah! Miss Racksole,' he murmured, hurrying the words out. 'Forgive me.
It is unforgivable, but forgive me. I was overpowered by my feelings. I
did not know what I was doing.'

'Why did you kiss me?' she repeated.

'Because--Nella! I love you. I have no right to say it.'

'Why have you no right to say it?'

'If Eugen dies, I shall owe a duty to Posen--I shall be its ruler.'

'Well!' she said calmly, with an adorable confidence. 'Papa is worth
forty millions. Would you not abdicate?'

'Ah!' he gave a low cry. 'Will you force me to say these things? I could
not shirk my duty to Posen, and the reigning Prince of Posen can only
marry a Princess.'

'But Prince Eugen will live,' she said positively, 'and if he lives--'

'Then I shall be free. I would renounce all my rights to make you mine,
if--if--'

'If what, Prince?'

'If you would deign to accept my hand.'

'Am I, then, rich enough?'

'Nella!' He bent down to her.

Then there was a crash of breaking glass. Aribert went to the window
and opened it. In the starlit gloom he could see that a ladder had been
raised against the back of the house. He thought he heard footsteps at
the end of the garden.

'It was Jules,' he exclaimed to Nella, and without another word
rushed upstairs to the attic. The attic was empty. Miss Spencer had
mysteriously vanished.

Chapter Nineteen ROYALTY AT THE GRAND BABYLON

THE Royal apartment