rned quite white--so white, that under the
brilliant electric light she was almost green and scarcely looked
lovely at all. She made a sign to the man on the staircase and slipped
through the crowd like an eel. She was a slim flexible creature and
never was a disappearance more wonderful in its rapidity. Between
stout matrons and their thin or stout escorts and families she made her
way and lost herself--but always making toward the exit. In two
minutes there was no sight of her violet draperies to be seen. She was
gone and so, evidently, was her male companion.

It was plain to Marco that to follow the profession of a spy was not by
any means a safe thing. The Chancellor had recognized her--she had
recognized the Chancellor who turned looking ferociously angry and
spoke to one of the young officers.

"She and the man with her are two of the most dangerous spies in
Europe, She is a Rumanian and he is a Russian. What they wanted of
this innocent lad I don't pretend to know. What did she threaten?" to
Marco.

Marco was feeling rather cold and sick and had lost his healthy color
for the moment.

"She said she meant to take me home with her and would pretend I was
her son who had come here without permission," he answered. "She
believes I know something I do not." He made a hesitating but grateful
bow. "The third act, sir--I must not keep you. Thank you! Thank you!"

The Chancellor moved toward the entrance door of the balcony seats, but
he did it with his hand on Marco's shoulder.

"See that he gets home safely," he said to the younger of the two
officers. "Send a messenger with him. He's young to be attacked by
creatures of that kind."

Polite young officers naturally obey the commands of Chancellors and
such dignitaries. This one found without trouble a young private who
marched with Marco through the deserted streets to his lodgings. He
was a stolid young Bavarian peasant and seemed to have no curiosity or
even any interest in the reason for the command given him. He was in
fact thinking of his sweetheart who lived near Konigsee and who had
skated with him on the frozen lake last winter. He scarcely gave a
glance to the schoolboy he was to escort, he neither knew nor wondered
why.

The Rat had fallen asleep over his papers and lay with his head on his
folded arms on the table. But he was awakened by Marco's coming into
the room and sat up blinking his eyes in the effort to get them open.

"