himself to forget that, more than a hundred years ago, one
of his family had, for a brief period, sat upon the throne of Pannonia,
and this knowledge had proved the evil factor of his life. Out of it he
had permitted an idea to take root and grow, until it had passed beyond
his control. Being well thought of by a certain section of the
community, particularly in the northern portion of the kingdom, where he
had large estates, he did not despair, even now, of accomplishing his
desires. Plotting and scheming were integral parts of his nature, and it
seemed out of his power to check them. It is not of the Prince himself,
however, that I am going to speak, but of his only child, his daughter,
who was destined in the future to play a most important part in the
drama of my life.

One morning, just as we were preparing to leave the palace for our daily
ride, we were the witnesses of what promised to be, and might very
easily have become, a terrible catastrophe. A carriage, drawn by a pair
of handsome horses, had just turned from the Jungferngasse into the
Michael Platz, when something caused them to take fright, and they
dashed off at terrific speed in the direction of the palace. In vain the
coachman, assisted by the groom beside him, endeavoured to restrain the
frightened animals. They had become unmanageable, and it looked as if
nothing could save the carriage, and any one who might be in it, from
annihilation. Even now I can feel the terror that possessed me as I
watched them come dashing headlong across the square, making straight
for the iron gates of the palace. Instinctively I put up my hand to shut
out the sight from my eyes. Then I heard a crash, succeeded by a short
silence which in its turn was broken by the screams of the injured
horses. When I looked again, the guards had turned out, and some of the
men were assisting the coachman, who fortunately was not hurt, with the
animals, while the officer of the day was removing a little girl from
the carriage to the guard-room beside the gates. It was miraculous that
she had not been hurt, for, as it was afterwards discovered, she had
only fainted from the shock she had received. My mother, who had
witnessed all that had transpired from one of the windows, immediately
sent a servant with instructions that the child was to be brought to the
palace, where she could be properly attended to. This was done, and
presently the little one, who had been examined by our own surgeon