I took the cigar with all humility as beseemed my role and followed the valet into an adjoining room, where the table was laid for me.  I am keenly sensitive to outside influences, and I felt instinctively distrustful of the man Josef.  I expect he resented my intrusion into a sphere where his influence had probably been supreme and where he had doubtless managed to secure a good harvest of pickings.

He left me to my luncheon and went away.  After an excellent lunch, washed down by some first-rate claret, I was enjoying my cigar over a book when Josef reappeared again.

“The Frau Graefin will see you downstairs!” he said.

Monica received me in a morning-room (the apartment was on two floors).  She was very much agitated and had lost all her habitual calm.

“Des,” she said, “von Boden has been here!”

“Well!” I replied eagerly.

“I wasn’t very successful,” she went on “I’m in deep water, Des, and that’s the truth.  I have never seen the old General as he was to-day.  He’s a frightful bully and tyrant, but even his worst enemy never accused him of cowardice.  But, Des, to-day the man was cowed.  He seemed to be in terror of his life and I had the greatest difficulty in making him say anything at all about your affair.

“I made a joking allusion to the escapade at the hotel last night and he said: 

“’Yesterday may prove the ruin of not only my career but that of my son’s also.  Yesterday gained for me as an enemy, Madam, a man whom it spells ruin, perhaps death, to offend.’

“‘You mean the Emperor?’ I asked.

“‘The Emperor!’ he said.  ’Oh! of course, he’s furious.  No, I was not speaking of the Emperor!’

“Then he changed the subject and it took me all my tact to get back to it.  I asked him if they had caught the author of the attack at the Esplanade.  He said, no, but it was only a question of time:  the fellow couldn’t escape.  I said I supposed they would offer a reward and publish a description of the assailant all over the country.  He told me they would do nothing of the sort.

“‘The public will hear nothing about the affair,’ he said, ’and if you will take my advice, Countess, you will forget all about it.  In any case, the Princess Radolin is writing to all her guests at the ball last night to urge them strongly to say nothing about the incident.  The employees of the hotel will keep their mouths shut.  The interests at stake forbid that there should be any attempt whatsoever made in public to throw light on the affair.’

“That is all I could get out of him.  But I have something further to tell you.  The General went away immediately after lunch.  Almost as soon as he had gone I was called to the telephone.  Dr. Henninger was there:  he is the head of the Political Police, you know.  He gave me the same advice as the General, namely, to forget all about what occurred at the Esplanade last night.  And then the Princess Radolin rang me up to say the same thing.  She seemed very frightened:  she was quite tearful.  Someone evidently had scared her badly.”