, has it not occurred to you that I may not wish to escape the
city guard?"

"May not wish to escape the--what do you mean?" she cried, bewildered.

"I am not going to leave Edelweiss, dearest. It is my intention to
surrender myself to the authorities."

She gazed at him in horror for a moment and then fell back with a low
moan.

"For God's sake, do not say that!" she wailed. "I forbid you to think of
it. You cannot do this after all I have done to save you. Ach, you are
jesting; I should have known."

He sat down and drew her to his side. Some moments passed before he
could speak.

"I cannot and will not permit you to make such a sacrifice for me. The
proposition of Bolaroz is known to me. If you produce me for trial you
are to have a ten years' extension. My duty is plain. I am no cowardly
criminal, and I am not afraid to face my accusers. At the worst, I can
die but once."

"Die but once," she repeated, as if in a dream.

"I came here to tell you of my decision, to ask you to save your lands,
protect your people, and to remember that I would die a thousand times
to serve you and yours."

"After all I have done--after all I have done," she murmured, piteously.
"No, no! You shall not! You are more to me than all my kingdom, than all
the people in the world. You have made me love you, you have caused me
to detest the throne which separates us, you have made me pray that I
might be a pauper, but you shall not force me to destroy the mite of
hope that lingers in my heart. You shall not crush the hope that there
may be a--a--some day!"

"A some day? Some day when you will be mine?" he cried.

"I will not say that, but, for my sake,--for my sake,--go away from this
place. Save yourself! You are all I have to live for." Her arms were
about his neck and her imploring words went to his heart like great
thrusts of pain.

"You forget the thousands who love and trust you. Do they deserve to be
wronged?"

"No, no,--ach, God, how I have suffered because of them! I have betrayed
them, have stolen their rights and made them a nation of beggars. But
I would not, for all this nation, have an innocent man condemned--nor
could my people ask that of me. You cannot dissuade me. It must be as
I wish. Oh, why does not Quinnox come for you!" She arose and paced the
floor distractedly.

He was revolving a selfish, cowardly capitulation to love and injustice,
when a sharp tap was heard at the door. Leaping to his feet he
whi