no difficulty."

Precisely at midnight the train started. Quickly gathering speed, it ran
through the tumbledown suburbs of the city and rumbled across the iron
bridge that spans the Tave River. In twenty minutes it was at Semlin,
and Austrian officials were examining passports. It was almost ludicrous
to find that they gave Alec and his mother a perfunctory glance; but
Lord Adalbert Beaumanoir excited their lively suspicion. One man, in
particular, mounted guard outside the carriage, and did not budge till
the train moved on again.

"That chap remembers me," said Beaumanoir. "Did you notice how he
glared? He was the johnny I slung through the window."

At an early hour in the morning Joan was peering disconsolately through
the window of a railway carriage at the life and bustle of Budapest
station. Felix had gone to purchase some newspapers, and the girl was
absorbed in gray thought when an official thrust head and shoulders into
the compartment and asked if the Fraeulein Vernon, passenger from
Delgratz to Paris, was within.

"Yes," gasped Joan, all the slight color flying from her cheeks and
leaving her wan indeed.

"Here is a telegram for you, fraeulein," said the man politely, and his
civil tone, at least, assured her that she was not to be dragged from
the train and subjected to some mysterious inquisition by Austrian
police. "Sent care of the station master," he explained, "and we were
urgently requested to find you. Kindly sign this receipt."

She scribbled her name on a form, and the man carefully compared it with
the superscription on the telegram.

"Yes, that is right," he said, and at last the agitated girl was free to
open this message from the skies. It was written in German, probably to
insure accurate transmission, and it read:

My mother and I, together with Beaumanoir, left Delgratz seven
hours later than you. Pauline accompanies us. We are returning to
Paris after having settled affairs satisfactorily in Kosnovia.
Please await our arrival in Budapest, and accept the statement
without any qualification that there is no reason whatever why you
should not do this.

ALEC.

The amazing words were still dancing before her eyes when Felix came
running along the platform. He too had been identified by an official,
and in his hand was another telegraphic slip.

"We need have no secrets between us now, my belle," he cried excitedly.
"You guess what has happe