tact as yours how necessary it will be to reply cautiously and guardedly
to all inquiries, from whatever quarter coming, nor how prudent it will
be to take her away at once from this."

"I will make arrangements this very day. I will telegraph to Milan at
once," said he.

"Oh, dear!" sighed she, "what a moment of relief is this, after such a
long, long period of care and anxiety!"

The great sense of relief implied in these words scarcely seemed to have
extended itself to Mr. Stocmar, who walked up and down the room in a
state of the deepest preoccupation.

"I wish sincerely," said he, half in soliloquy,--"I wish sincerely
we had a little more time for deliberation here; that we were not so
hurried; that, in short, we had leisure to examine this project more
fully, and at length."

"My dear Mr. Stocmar," said she, blandly, looking up from the embroidery
that she had just resumed, "life is not a very fascinating thing, taken
at its best; but what a dreary affair it would be if one were to stop
every instant and canvass every possible or impossible eventuality
of the morrow. Do what we will, how plain is it that we can prejudge
nothing, foresee nothing!"

"Reasonable precautions, madam, are surely permissible. I was just
imagining to myself what my position would be if, when this young
lady had developed great dramatic ability and every requirement for
theatrical success, some relative--some fiftieth cousin if you like, but
some one with claim of kindred--should step forward and demand her. What
becomes of all my rights in such a case?"

"Let me put another issue, sir. Let me suppose somebody arriving at
Dover or Folkestone, calling himself Charles Stuart, and averring that,
as the legitimate descendant of that House, he was the rightful King of
England. Do you really believe that her Majesty would immediately
place Windsor at his disposal; or don't you sincerely suppose that the
complicated question would be solved by the nearest policeman?"

"But she might marry, madam?"

"With her guardian's consent, of course," said she, with a demure
coquetry of look and manner. "I trust she has been too well brought up,
Mr. Stocmar, to make any risk of disobedience possible."

"Yes, yes," muttered he, half impatiently, "it's all very well to talk
of guardians' consent; but so long as she can say, 'How did you become
my guardian? What authority made you such? When, where, and by whom
conferred?'--"

"My dear Mr. Stocmar