The Prince curled his fair moustache.

"It is a pity," he said, "that he changed his mind. For one thing is
very certain. The Duke and I are agreed upon it. A Brott ministry must
never be formed."

She looked up quickly.

"What do you mean?"

The Prince answered her without hesitation.

"If one course fails," he said, "another must be adopted. I regret
having to make use of means which are somewhat clumsy and obvious. But
our pronouncement on this one point is final. Brott must not be allowed
to form a ministry."

She looked at him with something like horror in her soft full eyes.

"What would you do?" she murmured.

The Prince shrugged his shoulders.

"Well," he said, "we are not quite medieval enough to adopt the only
really sensible method and remove Mr. Brott permanently from the face of
the earth. We should stop a little short of that, but I can assure you
that Mr. Brott's health for the next few months is a matter for grave
uncertainty. It is a pity for his sake that you failed."

She bit her lip.

"Do you know if he is still in London?" she asked.

"He must be on the point of leaving for Scotland," the Duke answered.
"If he once mounts the platform at Glasgow there will be no further
chance of any compromise. He will be committed irretrievably to his
campaign of anarchy."

"And to his own disaster," the Prince murmured.

Lucille remained for a moment deep in thought. Then she looked up.

"If I can find him before he starts," she said hurriedly, "I will make
one last effort."

CHAPTER XXV

He peered forward over his desk at the tall graceful figure whose
entrance had been so noiseless, and whose footsteps had been so light
that she stood almost within a few feet of him before he was even aware
of her presence. Then his surprise was so great that he could only gasp
out her name.

"You! Lucille!"

She smiled upon him delightfully.

"Me! Lucille! Don't blame your servant. I assured him that I was
expected, so he allowed me to enter unannounced. His astonishment was
a delightful testimony to your reputation, by the bye. He was evidently
not used to these invasions."

Brott had recovered himself by this time, and if any emotion still
remained he was master of it.

"You must forgive my surprise!" he said. "You have of course something
important to say to me. Will you not loosen your cloak?"

She unfastened the clasp and seated herself in his most comfortable
chair. The firelight fla