"Ah," said the Princess, "but you were not wedded to a hulk of
corruption, and when the dear King's words are wild, he is not
responsible. You know that as well as I. At any rate there is Julian,
and he and I have done our duty. But I am fond of Eitel. He at least can
marry whom he likes. Patsy is a gentlewoman of unblemished
lineage--older than his own--and if he can win her, at least it will
keep my little Eitel from making the mistake which I made."

The Queen slowly nodded her head, thinking deeply.

"After all," she meditated, "Altschloss, though a respectable house, is
neither Hapsburg nor Hanover, and a new man like Eitel, come in by a
turn of the dice, may please himself--but--well (here she smiled) if you
have said 'Whom Elsa hath blessed let no man put asunder'--I suppose
there is no more to be done!"

"I wish it were as certain as all that," sighed the Princess, "but, in
fact, I am not at all sure about Patsy!"

"What," cried the Queen, surprised out of the pensiveness of her
matronly gravity, "surely you do not mean to say that the girl would
refuse a prince--a reigning prince?"

Elsa shook her head sadly.

"I do not know," she acknowledged, "she watches everything with those
big black eyes of hers, and she smiles. She says that one man or another
is much the same to her, and I can only hope for the best. But as a
matter of fact I have never dared to put the offer of the Prince clearly
before her. It seems better to accustom her gradually to the idea!"

"And the young man himself--your Eitel of Altschloss does not come of a
very patient race--I remember an uncle of his, but no matter--what does
he say? How does he take it? Has he spoken to your little Scot?"

"Frankly, I do not know," said the Princess. "I should judge not, by the
excellence of their comradeship."

"Is it wounded pride because of the young man of her country--that
foolish boy of old De Raincy's? He is always, as I hear, at the flounces
of the Arlington."

"I don't think Patsy cares," said the Princess. "If she showed a
preference, it would make it easier for me. I should begin to understand
her. Little Miss Aline Minto, the chatelaine of Ladykirk, who is with
us, may understand her better, but for me I own myself beaten. I cannot
get a serious answer out of the girl. If Julian were here--"

"And why is not Julian here?" said the Queen. "I understand that in your
position--but, after all, with Brunschweig living as he is doing