tened after a moment, and an entrancing smile broke around
her lips.

"If I were you, I'd never confess that I did not know who he was," she
said. "Let the world think that you _did_ know. It will not laugh, then.
If you can trust your friend to keep the secret, I am sure you can trust
me to do the same."

Again Chase was speechless--this time with joy. She would shield him
from ridicule!

"And now, please go! It were better if you went at once. I am afraid the
affair will not end with to-night. It grieves me to feel that I may be
the unhappy cause of misfortune to you."

"No misfortune can appal me now," murmured he gallantly. Then came the
revolting realisation that she was to wed the little musician. The
thought burst from his lips before he could prevent: "I don't believe
you want to marry him. He is the Duke's choice. You--"

"And I am the Duke's daughter," she said steadily, a touch of hauteur in
her voice. "Good-night. Good-bye. I am not sorry that it has happened."

She turned and left them, walking swiftly among the trees. A moment
later her voice came from the shadows, quick and pleading.

"Hasten," she called softly. "They are coming. I can see them."

Baggs grasped Chase by the arm and hurried him through the gate, past
the unsuspecting sentry. They did not know that the Princess, upon
meeting the soldiers, told them that the two men had gone toward the
palace instead of out into the city streets. It gave them half an hour's
start.

"It's a devil of a mess," sighed Baggs, when they were far from the
walls. "The Duke may have you jugged, and it would serve you jolly well
right."

"Now, see here, Baggs, none of that," growled Chase. "You'd have done
the same thing if you hadn't been brought up to fall on your face before
royalty. It will cost me my job here, but I'm glad I did it.
Understand?"

"I'm sure it will cost you the job if nothing else. You'll be relieved
before to-morrow night, my word for it. And you'll be lucky if that's
all. The Duke's a terror. I don't, for the life of me, see how you
failed to know who the chap really is."

"An Englishman never sees a joke until it is too late, they say. This
time it appears to be the American who is slow witted. What I don't
understand is why he was leading that confounded band."

"My word, Chase, everybody in Europe--except you--knows that Brabetz is
a crank about music. Composes, directs and all that. Over in Brabetz he
supports the conservat