“Your Highness shall have it as you wish.  I am satisfied with the resemblance.  Since you left San Sebastian there has been scarcely a minute that you have not been under surveillance.  It is true that you were lost for a little while in Boston, but not completely.  We traced you to Sihasset.  We traced him there also finally—­unfortunately for the poor fellow.”

Ruth started:  “You have not—­”

The Minister looked sad.  “Alas!  Highness,” he said, “he is no more—–­an unfortunate accident.  We do not even know where his body is.  I fear he may have been drowned, or something worse.  At any rate he will trouble you no more.”

The face of the girl showed keen distress.  “Poor child!” was all she could say.

“He was not, Highness, exactly a child, you know,” suggested the Minister.

“I was not referring to him.”

The Minister’s smile returned.

“Then, Highness, perhaps you were referring to the Grand Duchess.”

“I was referring to the Grand Duchess.”

All this time His Excellency never lost his air of respect, but now a somewhat more familiar tone crept into his voice.

“Highness,” he said, “you will pardon me, I know, if I issue orders in your regard.  All is being done by your father’s commands, given to me through His Majesty.  You know as well as I do that your marriage to this Italian adventurer was impossible.  You know that you are next in line of succession, but you do not know something else.  You do not know that your father is even now dangerously ill.  Your escapade has been hushed up to avoid scandal, for you may be sitting on the throne within a month.  You must return to Ecknor, and you must return at once.  The easiest way, and the best way, would be to notify the Washington papers that you have arrived on a visit to America incognito, and that you are now a guest at the Ministry.  Though it is already midnight, I have prepared such a statement.  Here is it.”  The Minister pointed to a number of sealed envelopes on the desk.  “If you consent to be reasonable, I shall have these dispatched by messenger at once, and to-morrow make arrangements for your entertainment.  We shall send you to see some of the cities of the United States before you leave again for Europe.  In this way your presence in America is explained.  Nothing need ever be said about this unfortunate matter, and I can promise you that nothing will be said about it when you return home.”

It was Ruth’s turn to smile.

“You are overlooking one thing, Excellency, and that the most important.  I am not the Grand Duchess.”

“Of course, Highness.  You have explained that before.  It would not become me to contradict you, and yet you cannot blame me for carrying out my orders.  If you do not agree to the plan I have suggested, I must put you under restraint.  No one will be permitted to see you, and proper arrangements will be made to have you transferred secretly to one of our warships, which will be making a cruise—­for your especial benefit—­to America in the course of a month.  A month, Highness, is a long time to wait in restraint, but you must see that there is nothing else for me to do.”