A year afterwards, Wanda met Count Dembizki in Baden, near Vienna.  His hair was still black, but he had a magnificent, full, black beard; he had become a Greek prince, and his name was Anastasio Maurokordatos.  She met him once in one of the side walks in the park, where he could not avoid her.  “If it goes on like this,” she called out to him in a mocking voice, “the next time I see you, you will be king of some negro tribe or other.”

That time, however, the Brazilian did not deny his identity; on the contrary, he surrendered at discretion, and implored her not to betray him, and as she was not revengeful, she pardoned him, after enjoying his terror for a time, and promised him that she would hold her tongue, as long as he did nothing contrary to the laws.

“First of all, I must beg you not to gamble.”

“You have only to command; and we do not know each other in future?”

“I must certainly insist on that,” she said maliciously.

The Exotic Prince had, however, made the conquest of the charming daughter of a wealthy Austrian Count, and had cut out an excellent young officer who was wooing her; and he, in his despair began to make love to Frau von Chabert, and at last told her he loved her, but she only laughed at him.

“You are very cruel,” he stammered in confusion.

“I?  What are you thinking about?” Wanda replied, still smiling; “all I mean is, that you have directed your love to the wrong address, for Countess....”

“Do not speak of her; she is engaged to another man.”

“As long as I choose to permit it,” she said; “but what will you do, if I bring her back to your arms?  Will you still call me cruel?”

“Can you do this?” the young officer asked, in great excitement.

“Well, supposing I can do it, what shall I be then?”

“An angel, whom I shall thank on my knees.”

A few days later, the rivals met at a coffee house; the Greek prince began to lie and boast, and the Austrian officer gave him the lie direct, and in consequence, it was arranged that they should fight a duel with pistols next morning in a wood close to Baden.  But as the officer was leaving the house with his second the next morning, a Police Commissary came up to him and begged him not to trouble himself any further about the matter, but another time to be more careful before accepting a challenge.

“What does it mean?” the officer asked, in some surprise.

“It means that this Maurokordatos is a dangerous swindler and adventurer, whom we have just taken into custody.”

“He is not a prince?”

“No; a circus rider.”

An hour later the officer received a letter from the charming Countess, in which she humbly begged for pardon; the happy lover set off to go and see her immediately, but on the way a sudden thought struck him, and so he turned back in order to thank beautiful Wanda, as he had promised, on his knees.