ave been cruel.'

'Not cruel, madam--salutary,' said Seraphina, with a phantom smile. 'No,
I thank you, I require no attentions. The first surprise affected me:
will you give me time a little? I must think.'

She took her head between her hands, and contemplated for a while the
hurricane confusion of her thoughts.

'This information reaches me,' she said, 'when I have need of it. I
would not do as you have done, but yet I thank you. I have been much
deceived in Baron Gondremark.'

'O, madam, leave Gondremark, and think upon the Prince!' cried von Rosen.

'You speak once more as a private person,' said the Princess; 'nor do I
blame you. But my own thoughts are more distracted. However, as I
believe you are truly a friend to my--to the--as I believe,' she said,
'you are a friend to Otto, I shall put the order for his release into
your hands this moment. Give me the ink-dish. There!' And she wrote
hastily, steadying her arm upon the table, for she trembled like a reed.
'Remember; madam,' she resumed, handing her the order, 'this must not be
used nor spoken of at present; till I have seen the Baron, any hurried
step--I lose myself in thinking. The suddenness has shaken me.'

'I promise you I will not use it,' said the Countess, 'till you give me
leave, although I wish the Prince could be informed of it, to comfort his
poor heart. And O, I had forgotten, he has left a letter. Suffer me,
madam, I will bring it you. This is the door, I think?' And she sought
to open it.

'The bolt is pushed,' said Seraphina, flushing.

'O! O!' cried the Countess.

A silence fell between them.

'I will get it for myself,' said Seraphina; 'and in the meanwhile I beg
you to leave me. I thank you, I am sure, but I shall be obliged if you
will leave me.'

The Countess deeply curtseyed, and withdrew.

CHAPTER XIV--RELATES THE CAUSE AND OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION

Brave as she was, and brave by intellect, the Princess, when first she
was alone, clung to the table for support. The four corners of her
universe had fallen. She had never liked nor trusted Gondremark
completely; she had still held it possible to find him false to
friendship; but from that to finding him devoid of all those public
virtues for which she had honoured him, a mere commonplace intriguer,
using her for his own ends, the step was wide and the descent giddy.
Light and darkness succeeded each other in her brain; now she believed,
and now she