her judgment of him in abeyance. For the
moment she was able to forget her terrors of the night before, his
enmity for Hugh Renwick, and the threat he had hung over her freedom.
She did not dare to trust him. Too much still hung in the balance of her
favor or disfavor. And yet she was forced to admit the constraint of his
fervor, his kindness and courteous consideration. A woman forgives much
to those who acknowledge without question the scepter of her femininity.

At last she turned toward him with a smile and gave nun her hand. Nor
did she withdraw it when bending low he pressed it gently to his lips.
This was a game that two could play at.

"We are to be friends, then?" he asked quietly.

"Of course," she smiled at him.

Toward six of the afternoon a trifling mishap to the motor delayed them
for two hours, and it was long after midnight before they reached Brod
and learned that the train of the Archduke had left within the hour.
This was a terrible disappointment, which seemed to menace the success
of their venture. But Captain Goritz determined to go on as rapidly as
possible, trusting to reach their destination before the royal party
left its train, hoping that the sight of Countess Strahni by the Duchess
would be sufficient to let down any official barriers which might be
interposed. But an unforeseen difficulty at Brod still further delayed
them, a difficulty which required all of the ingenuity of Captain Goritz
to get them once more upon their way. It was three o'clock in the
morning, when having made some necessary repairs to the machine, they
reached the Austrian end of the great bridge across the Save. Here they
were halted by an iron chain across the bridge entrance and a police
officer who, it seemed, looked upon their night traveling with
suspicion. Captain Goritz protested indignantly and produced his papers,
which the officer inspected by the dim light of an ancient lantern held
by a subordinate.

"I am sorry," he said firmly, "but no motor cars are permitted to cross
into Bosnia until tomorrow morning."

"But, my friend," said Goritz with an air of outraged patience, "I am an
officer of the Third Regiment of the Fifteenth Army Corps returning to
Sarajevo from a leave of absence which expires at nine in the morning.
It is necessary that my party goes through at once."

"I must obey orders, Herr Ober Lieutenant."

"But my papers are correct. They are signed, you will observe, by
General von Hoet