cessible to Carlton than before,
and he grew desperate and despondent.

"If the worst comes," he said to Miss Morris, "I shall tell Nolan to
give an alarm of fire some night, and then I will run in and rescue her
before they find out there is no fire. Or he might frighten the horses
some day, and give me a chance to stop them. We might even wait until
we reach Greece, and have her carried off by brigands, who would only
give her up to me."

"There are no more brigands in Greece," said Miss Morris; "and besides,
why do you suppose they would only give her up to you?"

"Because they would be imitation brigands," said Carlton, "and would be
paid to give her up to no one else."

"Oh, you plan very well," scoffed Miss Morris, "but you don't DO
anything."

Carlton was saved the necessity of doing anything that same morning,
when the English captain in attendance on the Duke sent his card to
Carlton's room. He came, he explained, to present the Prince's
compliments, and would it be convenient for Mr. Carlton to meet the
Duke that afternoon? Mr. Carlton suppressed an unseemly desire to
shout, and said, after a moment's consideration, that it would. He
then took the English captain down stairs to the smoking-room, and
rewarded him for his agreeable message.

The Duke received Carlton in the afternoon, and greeted him most
cordially, and with as much ease of manner as it is possible for a man
to possess who has never enjoyed the benefits of meeting other men on
an equal footing. He expressed his pleasure in knowing an artist with
whose work he was so familiar, and congratulated himself on the happy
accident which had brought them both to the same hotel.

"I have more than a natural interest in meeting you," said the Prince,
"and for a reason which you may or may not know. I thought possibly
you could help me somewhat. I have within the past few days come into
the possession of two of your paintings; they are studies, rather, but
to me they are even more desirable than the finished work; and I am not
correct in saying that they have come to me exactly, but to my sister,
the Princess Aline."

Carlton could not withhold a certain start of surprise. He had not
expected that his gift would so soon have arrived, but his face showed
only polite attention.

"The studies were delivered to us in London," continued the Duke.
"They are of Ludwig the tragedian, and of the German Prime Minister,
two most valuable works, an