“Magnificent!” he cried, laughing; “you talk like a reigning queen, accepting gifts from her vassal.  Then the count loves you passionately, does he not?”

“He loves nothing except himself and his ambition.  He would like to obtain the title of prince from Napoleon.”

“And he believes that you could aid him?”

“Indirectly, yes.  If I help him to discover an affair which is of great importance to the emperor, and for whose disclosure he could not fail to reward Count Andreossy.”

“What kind of an affair?”

“A conspiracy,” she said quietly.

“A conspiracy?  Against whom?”

“Against the Emperor Napoleon.  Andreossy naturally believes me to be an enthusiastic admirer of his emperor, and therefore he imparted to me his fears and conjectures.  The point in question is a widespread conspiracy, which is said to exist in the French army and have assistants among the Austrians.”

“And you?  Do you believe in this conspiracy?”

“I am on the track and perhaps shall soon be able to give the particulars.  Only it requires time and great caution and secrecy.  Let me say no more now, but I promise that I will be active and watchful.  Only I make one condition.”

“What is that?”

“If I succeed in discovering this conspiracy, delivering the leaders into your hands, giving the emperor undeniable proofs of the existence of this plot, perhaps even saving his life by the disclosure; if I succeed, as I said, in doing all this, then you will release me and permit me to leave Vienna.”

“To go where?”

“Wherever I wish, only alone, only not—­”

“Only not with you, you wanted to say,” he added, completing the sentence.  “My child, you see that I was right in remarking that a change had taken place in you.  Formerly you were glad to be with me; you never felt a wish to leave me; formerly it was your ardent desire to occupy a brilliant position in society, to be rich, aristocratic, brilliant, influential; and now, when you have attained all this, now you are still unsatisfied, now you long to resign all this again.  But you will reflect, Leonore; you will listen to reason.  You will consider what we have suffered from the pettiness, the pitifulness, the arrogance, and the selfishness of men.  You will remember how often you vowed, with angry tears, to avenge yourself some day for all that we have suffered.  Remember, child, remember!  Have you forgotten how we starved and pined, when your mother died, because we were so poor that, in her illness, we could not give her the necessary nursing, could not pay a doctor.  Have you forgotten how we both knelt beside her corpse and, with tears of grief and anger, swore to avenge the death of the poor sufferer upon cruel men, base society?”

“I know it, father, yes, I know it,” she answered, panting for breath, as she slowly raised her hands and pressed them on her bosom as if to force down the anguish within.  “Ah, yes, I shall never forget it!  That was the hour when we both sold ourselves to hell.”