glish royalties; and very pretty names they are,
too--Aline, Helene, Victoria, Beatrix. You must be much more English
than you are German; and I suppose you live in a little old castle, and
your brother has a standing army of twelve men, and some day you are to
marry a Russian Grand-Duke, or whoever your brother's Prime Minister--if
he has a Prime Minister--decides is best for the politics of your little
toy kingdom. Ah! to think," exclaimed Carlton, softly, "that such a
lovely and glorious creature as that should be sacrificed for so
insignificant a thing as the peace of Europe when she might make some
young man happy?"

He carried a copy of the paper to his room, and cut the picture of the
group out of the page and pasted it carefully on a stiff piece of
card-board. Then he placed it on his dressing-table, in front of a
photograph of a young woman in a large silver frame--which was a sign,
had the young woman but known it, that her reign for the time being was
over.

Nolan, the young Irishman who "did for" Carlton, knew better than to
move it when he found it there. He had learned to study his master
since he had joined him in London, and understood that one photograph
in the silver frame was entitled to more consideration than three
others on the writing-desk or half a dozen on the mantel-piece. Nolan
had seen them come and go; he had watched them rise and fall; he had
carried notes to them, and books and flowers; and had helped to dispose
them from the silver frame and move them on by degrees down the line,
until they went ingloriously into the big brass bowl on the side table.
Nolan approved highly of this last choice. He did not know which one
of the three in the group it might be; but they were all pretty, and
their social standing was certainly distinguished.

Guido, the Italian model who ruled over the studio, and Nolan were
busily packing when Carlton entered. He always said that Guido
represented him in his professional and Nolan in his social capacity.
Guido cleaned the brushes and purchased the artists' materials; Nolan
cleaned his riding-boots and bought his theatre and railroad tickets.

"Guido," said Carlton, "there are two sketches I made in Germany last
year, one of the Prime Minister, and one of Ludwig the actor; get them
out for me, will you, and pack them for shipping. Nolan," he went on,
"here is a telegram to send."

Nolan would not have read a letter, but he looked upon telegrams as