m
to give him every day an exact account of what he heard through Evila
of the progress of the coal-mine company.

From this time Ivan received regularly every week two or three letters
from Vienna.

"The old prince nibbles at the bait. Kaulmann has brought him to the
rehearsal of the new piece. Eveline sings and acts enchantingly; that
is, when she is within four walls, and has only a few people for
audience. If she acted like this on the stage she would be a
celebrated actress in no time; but so soon as she comes before the
footlights stage-fright seizes upon her, she trembles, forgets
everything, stands there like a stick, and, worst of all, sings quite
false. These rehearsals have been given on the pretext that the prince
should have an opportunity of judging of her talent, so that he may
influence those in power to give her an engagement at the opera. I
know what their real object is. The prince is a real connoisseur in
music, and he understands not alone art, but artists. He knows that
there is a price set upon such black diamonds as sparkle in Eveline's
eyes. There is the additional incentive that Prince Waldemar is
desperately in love with this woman, and Prince Theobald, for certain
reasons, will do anything to prevent her falling into his hands. He
would even go the length of taking her himself sooner than such a
misadventure should happen.

"A short time since Prince Waldemar met me, and offered me one hundred
ducats for every leaf of the album in which are the portraits of
Madame Kaulmann in her character costumes. You must know, of late,
each day that we rehearse one of the monologues at the piano a
photographer is present and takes the artist in her costume.
Everything must be finished in the house, and not more than four
pictures are allowed to be executed; one of these is for Prince
Theobald, one is kept by herself, one she presents to me, and the
fourth is for my friend Felix. The negative is then broken. I would
not sell my photographs to Prince Waldemar, but I send them to you as
they follow one another. Mamma does not like to see such pictures in
my room."

Ivan received with each letter a photograph; each portrait represented
Evila as a lovely creation in a most graceful pose. Arpad had not the
least idea what a hell of different passions were raised in Ivan's
breast as he looked at the beautiful image of the woman he had and
still loved.

In the first portrait she was represented as "Lorele