e front-terrace; the awning was already
drawn up for the night. The sea was still blue, the sky pearl-grey and
no longer so bright; above the horizon the sun still burnt ragged rents
in the widely scattered clouds.

The girls strolled about, laughed, looked at the two little boats on the
sea and waved to them. Very far away, a steamer passed, finely outlined,
with a dirty little ribbon of smoke. The young princes shouted, "Hurrah!
Hurrah!" and hoisted their little flag.

"Do look at those papers of Herman's!" said Valerie. "Aunt Olga hates
that untidiness...."

She pointed to all the magazines and newspapers which the servants had
forgotten to clear away. They lay over the long wicker chair, on the
table and on the ground.

"Shall I ring to have them cleared away?" asked Wanda.

"Oh, never mind!" said Valerie.

She herself picked up one or two papers, folded them, put them together;
Wanda again waved to the boats with her handkerchief.

"My God!" she suddenly heard Valerie murmur, faintly.

She looked round: the young archduchess had turned pale and sunk into a
chair. She had dropped the papers again; one of them she held tight,
crushing it convulsively; she looked down at it with eyes vacant with
terror:

"It's not true," she stammered. "They always lie.... They lie!"

"What is it, Valerie?" cried Wanda, frightened.

At this moment the Duchess of Wendeholm came out through the hall:

"Valerie!" she called.

The girl did not hear. The duchess came nearer:

"Valerie!" she repeated. "Could I talk to you for a moment, alone?"

The archduchess raised her pale little face. She seemed not to hear, not
to understand.

"My God!" whispered the duchess to Wanda. "Does she know?"

"What?" asked Wanda.

But a footman also came through the hall; he carried a silver tray with
letters. There were a couple of letters for the duchess; he presented
them to her first; then one to Valerie. In spite of her blurred eyes,
the archduchess seemed to see the letter; she snatched at it greedily.
The man withdrew.

"O ... God!..." she stammered at last.

She pulled the letter from the envelope, half-tearing it in her
eagerness, and read with crazy eyes. Sofie and Wanda looked at her in
dismay.

"O ... God!" screamed the archduchess in agony. "It's true ... it's true
... it's true! ... Oh!..."

She rose, trembling, looked about her with wild eyes and threw herself
madly into the duchess' arms. A loud sob burst from her