he shall give it to
his Highness as Easter offering. It is so pretty an idea we have seen
it done once in Styria."

Lady Barbara looked dubiously at the proposed Easter angel, a fair,
wooden-faced child of about four years old. She had noticed it the day
before in the hotel, and wondered rather how such a towheaded child
could belong to such a dark-visaged couple as the woman and her
husband; probably, she thought, an adopted baby, especially as the
couple were not young.

"Of course Gnaedige Frau will escort the little child up to the Prince,"
pursued the woman; "but he will be quite good, and do as he is told."

"We haf some pluffers' eggs shall come fresh from Wien," said the
husband.

The small child and Lady Barbara seemed equally unenthusiastic about
the pretty idea; Lester was openly discouraging, but when the
Burgomaster heard of it he was enchanted. The combination of sentiment
and plovers' eggs appealed strongly to his Teutonic mind.

On the eventful day the Easter angel, really quite prettily and
quaintly dressed, was a centre of kindly interest to the gala crowd
marshalled to receive his Highness. The mother was unobtrusive and
less fussy than most parents would have been under the circumstances,
merely stipulating that she should place the Easter egg herself in the
arms that had been carefully schooled how to hold the precious burden.
Then Lady Barbara moved forward, the child marching stolidly and with
grim determination at her side. It had been promised cakes and
sweeties galore if it gave the egg well and truly to the kind old
gentleman who was waiting to receive it. Lester had tried to convey to
it privately that horrible smackings would attend any failure in its
share of the proceedings, but it is doubtful if his German caused more
than an immediate distress. Lady Barbara had thoughtfully provided
herself with an emergency supply of chocolate sweetmeats; children may
sometimes be time-servers, but they do not encourage long accounts. As
they approached nearer to the princely dais Lady Barbara stood
discreetly aside, and the stolid-faced infant walked forward alone,
with staggering but steadfast gait, encouraged by a murmur of elderly
approval. Lester, standing in the front row of the onlookers, turned
to scan the crowd for the beaming faces of the happy parents. In a
side-road which led to the railway station he saw a cab; entering the
cab with every appearance of furtive haste were th