tte, and the widowed baroness prostrated by grief, and confined to her
bed.

The duke and duchess remained until after the funeral, when the will of
the late baron was read. It was then discovered for the first time that
his daughter, Valerie, was not nearly the wealthy heiress she was
supposed to be.

All the late baron's landed estates went to the male heir-at-law, a young
officer in the Chasseurs d' Afrique, then in Algiers. All his personal
property, consisting of bank and railroad stocks, after a deduction as a
provision for his widow, was bequeathed to his only daughter Valerie,
Duchess of Hereward. But this property was so inconsiderable, that,
without other means, it would scarcely have sufficed for the respectable
support of the mother and daughter.

After the settlement of the late baron's affairs, the duke and duchess
would have returned immediately to London but for the condition of the
widowed baroness' health.

Madame de la Motte had for years been a delicate invalid, and she had
experienced, in the sudden death of her husband, a severe shock, from
which she could not rally; so that, within a few weeks after the baron's
remains had been laid in the family vault, she passed away, and hers were
laid by his side.

Valerie was even more prostrated with sorrow by the loss of her mother
than she had been by that of her father.

The duke, to distract her grief, telegraphed to New Haven, where his
yacht, the _Sea-Bird_, was lying to have her brought over to meet
him at Dieppe, took his duchess down to that little seaport and embarked
with her for a voyage to Norway.

The season was most favorable for such a northerly voyage. They sailed on
the first of July, and spent three months cruising about the coasts of
Norway, Iceland, and down to the Western Isles. They returned about the
first of October.

The duke left his yacht at Dieppe, and, accompanied by the duchess, went
up to Paris, to attend to some business connected with the estate of the
late baron.

As but a third of a year had passed since the death of her parents, and
the duchess had scarcely passed out of her first deep crape mourning, she
went very little into society. Nevertheless, she was constrained, at the
duke's request, to accept one invitation.

There was to be a diplomatic dinner given at the British Legation, at
which the Prussian, Austrian and Russian ministers, with the higher
officers of their suites, were to be present.

Valeri