he broke a flower from the bouquet and flung
it overboard. He pretended that it was a boat, and was going down to
Karnia, filled with soldiers ready to fight.

But the thought of soldiers brought Nikky to his mind. His face clouded.
"It's very strange about Nikky," he said. "He is away somewhere. I wish
he had sent word he was going."

Hedwig looked out over the river.

The Archduchess glanced at Miss Braithwaite. "There is no news?" she
asked, in an undertone.

"None," said Miss Braithwaite.

A sudden suspicion rose in Hedwig's mind, and made her turn pale. What
if they had sent him away? Perhaps they feared him enough for that! If
that were true, she would never know. She knew the ways of the Palace
well enough for that. In a sort of terror she glanced around the group,
so comfortably disposed. Her mother was looking out, with her cool,
impassive gaze. Miss Braithwaite knitted. The Countess, however, met
her eyes, and there was something strange in them: triumph and a bit of
terror, too, had she but read them. For the Countess had put in her plea
for a holiday and had been refused.

The launch drew up near the fort, and the Crown Prince's salute of a
certain number of guns was fired. The garrison was drawn up in line, and
looked newly shaved and very, very neat. And the officers came out
and stood on the usual red carpet, and bowed deeply, after which they
saluted the Crown Prince and he saluted them. Then the Colonel in charge
shook hands all round, and the band played. It was all very ceremonious
and took a lot of tine.

The new fortress faced the highroad some five miles from the Karnian
border. It stood on a bluff over the river, and was, as the Crown Prince
decided, not so unlike the desk, after all, except that it had a moat
around it.

Hedwig and the Countess went with the party around the fortifications.
The Archduchess and Miss Braithwaite had sought a fire. Only the
Countess, however, seemed really interested. Hedwig seemed more intent
on the distant line of the border than on anything else. She stood on a
rampart and stared out at it, looking very sad. Even the drill--when at
a word all the great guns rose and peeped over the edge at the valley
below, and then dropped back again as if they had seen enough--even this
failed to rouse her.

"I wish you would listen, Hedwig," said the Crown Prince, almost
fretfully. "It's so interesting. The enemy's soldiers would come up the
river in boats, and al