the quiet Frauengasse, while the clatter of cavalry and the heavy rumble
of gun carriages could be heard over the roofs from the direction of the
Langenmarkt. There was a sense of hurry in the dusty air. The Emperor
had arrived, and the magic of his name lifted men out of themselves. It
seemed nothing extraordinary to Desiree that her life should be taken up
by this whirlwind, and carried on she knew not whither.

At dinner-time Charles had not returned. Antoine Sebastian dined at
half-past four, in the manner of Northern Europe; but his daughters
provided his table with the lighter meats of France, which he preferred
to the German cuisine. Sebastian's dinner was an event in the day,
though he ate sparingly enough, and found a mental rather than a
physical pleasure in the ceremonious sequence of courses.

It was now too late to think of going to Zoppot. After dinner Mathilde
and Desiree prepared the rooms which had been destined for the
occupation of the married pair after the honeymoon.

"We shall have to omit Zoppot, that is all," said Desiree cheerfully,
and fell to unpacking the bridal clothes which had been so merrily laid
in the trunks.

At half-past six a soldier brought a hurried note from Charles.

"I cannot return to-night, as I am about to start for Konigsberg," he
wrote. "It is a commission which I could not refuse if I wished to. You,
I know, would have me go and do my duty."

There was more which Desiree did not read aloud. Charles had always
found it easy enough to tell Desiree how much he loved her, and was
gaily indifferent to the ears of others. But she seemed to be restrained
by some feeling which had found birth in her heart during her wedding
day. She said nothing of Charles's protestations of love.

"Decidedly," she said, folding the letter, and placing it in her
work-basket, "Fate is interfering in our affairs to-day."

She turned to her work again without further complaint, almost with
a sense of relief. Mathilde, whose steady grey eyes saw everything,
penetrating every thought, glanced at her with a suddenly aroused
interest. Desiree herself was half surprised at the philosophy with
which she met this fresh misfortune.

Antoine Sebastian had never acquired the habit of drinking tea in the
evening, which had found favour in these northern countries bordering
on Russia. Instead, he usually went out at this time to one of the many
wine-rooms or Bier Halles in the town to drink a slow and