“But that is abominable!” cried the Princess, with tears in her eyes.  “One of these messengers,” continued the count, “and indeed the messenger of Count Schwarzenberg, as I suspect, has already arrived this evening, and the Electoral Prince has already received him.  The other will probably come to-morrow, and if you then still delay, if you do not surprise the Prince in the first storm of his indignation, and thereby lead him to bind himself to you by a secret marriage, then all is lost, and the two powers Hollandine and France are conquered by Brandenburg and Austria.”

“That shall not be!” cried the Princess, jumping up, and with hasty steps moving to and fro.  “No, we are not to be conquered!  They shall not tear my beloved from me!”

“Well, Princess, if you are firmly resolved, then I beg as a favor to be allowed to be of service to you.”

“Yes, help me—­advise me.”

“I have counted upon your love and your energy, Princess, and therefore have already drawn up a stated plan.  Will you hear it?”

“Not merely hear, but execute it, too, if it is at all practicable,” cried Ludovicka, while she remained standing in the center of the room, and turned her large, flaming eyes upon the count, who had likewise arisen and advanced smilingly toward her.

“Well, then, Princess, the plan is short and simple.  The Prince makes you to-night his offer of marriage.”

“Yes, this very night,” said she, proudly.

“He swears that he will marry you as soon as possible.”

“Oh, you may be sure of that; he will swear it to me.”

“Own to him that you have friends on whose aid and assistance you can count, but let him not suspect who these friends are.  Then lead the conversation to the Media Nocte—­But, my heavens!” exclaimed the count, interrupting himself, while he looked as if accidentally at the clock, “it only wants now a few minutes of two o’clock, and the Electoral Prince will certainly come punctually, and therefore will be here directly.  I have written out all that it is necessary that you will have the complaisance to do between this and to-morrow.  Read it over at your leisure, and impress it rightly upon your mind.  Here is the paper, and may my writing find a hearing and favor!  If such be the case, as I hope and desire, then will your highness have the goodness to open your window a little at ten o’clock and display from it an orange-colored ribbon.  All the rest will take care of itself, and what your highness has to do is on the paper.  I hasten to withdraw, that your highness may have time to read my writing.”

“But if the Prince should come now?” asked Ludovicka anxiously—­“if he should see a man descending from my window?”

“You are right, Princess; that is to be dreaded; and I, too, have considered that.  I will not leave through the window.”

“Not through the window?  But in what other way would you—­”