answered, "if you are brave enough and strong enough to
throw away a crown, I will be your slave for life."

* * * * *

DRESDEN, _October 20, 1902_.

"Your Imperial Highness was pleased to call me a thief once," said the
Tisch early this morning as she entered my boudoir, triumph written all
over her yellow countenance. "You repeated that calumny to the Prince
Royal and doubtless to many other persons. Today came the opportunity
to live up to my reputation. I stole a letter addressed to you by your
present lover, and as Your Imperial Highness is pleased to doubt my
authority, immediately sent it to His Majesty. It makes highly
interesting reading."

The blow made my knees tremble, but pain and rage came to my assistance,
effacing the momentary weakness.

"Don't think for a moment to frighten me," I cried. "I say to your face
that I have a lover--a gentleman, not an unspeakable, like your nephew.
And now listen: I will tell the King and the press of Europe, if it must
be, that it was you, my Grand Mistress, who 'pandered' me to
Henry--for--revenue. I will have him whipped out of the army----"

"You don't suppose for a moment that the word of an adulteress would
prove acceptable either to His Majesty or anyone else?" hissed the
insolent creature.

"My word will be accepted all around," I shouted back, "for I have the
proofs, proofs that you smuggled this unspeakable into my household,
proofs that you lied to the King in order not to disrupt your nephew's
career.

"And I will cry from the house-tops that you discovered my relations
with Henry only _after_ I had paid his debts, _after_ I had financed his
excursions to gambling-houses and to usurers' dens. Ah, I paid his
tailors and glove-makers, his board and lodging, his laundry bills. I
paid the alimony due his strumpets, and _after_ all was done, _after_
his lieutenantship had again a clean bill of health, financially
speaking, then, and not a moment before, did you step in and make an end
of the farce, wherein I played the part of 'angel,' or pay-master."

The Tisch got visibly smaller under my lash. The air of triumph she bore
when entering the room gave way to an expression of despair. If she
hadn't sent the letter to the King, I believe she would have given it up
after I was half through with her.

Once more I hold the whip hand, but what good will it do me since I am
condemned to lose the man I love?

*