as you know, is a kingdom of its own, and, Lucille, I stand well with the Emperor.  The Socialist party in Berlin are strong and increasing.  He needs us.  Who can say what honours may not be in store for us?  For I, too, am of the Royal House, Lucille.  I am his kinsman.  He never forgets that.  Come, throw aside this restlessness.  I will tell you how to deal with Brott, and the publicity, after all, will be nothing.  We will go abroad directly afterwards.”

“Have you finished?” she asked.

“You will be reasonable!” he begged.

“Reasonable!” She turned upon him with flashing eyes.  “I wonder how you ever dared to imagine that I could tolerate you for one moment as a lover or a husband.  Wipe it out of your mind once and for all.  You are repellent to me.  Positively the only wish I have in connection with you is never to see your face again.  As for my duty, I have done it.  My conscience is clear.  I shall leave this house to-day.”

“I hope,” the Prince said softly, “that you will do nothing rash!”

“In an hour,” she said, “I shall be at the Carlton with my husband.  I will trust to him to protect me from you.”

The Prince shook his head.

“You talk rashly,” he said.  “You do not think.  You are forbidden to leave this house.  You are forbidden to join your husband.”

She laughed scornfully, but underneath was a tremor of uneasiness.

“You summoned me from America,” she said, “and I came ...  I was forced to leave my husband without even a word of farewell.  I did it!  You set me a task—­I have accomplished it.  I claim that I have kept my bond, that I have worked out my own freedom.  If you require more of me, I say that you are overstepping your authority, and I refuse.  Set the black cross against my name if you will.  I will take the risk.”

The Prince came a little nearer to her.  She held her own bravely enough, but there was a look in his face which terrified her.

“Lucille,” he said, “you force me to disclose something which I have kept so far to myself.  I wished to spare you anxiety, but you must understand that your safety depends upon your remaining in this house, and in keeping apart from all association with —­your husband.”

“You will find it difficult,” she said, “to convince me of that.”

“On the contrary,” he said, “I shall find it easy—­too easy, believe me.  You will remember my finding you at the wine-shop of Emil Sachs?”

“Yes!”

“You refused to tell me the object of your visit.  It was foolish, for of course I was informed.  You procured from Emil a small quantity of the powder prepared according to the recipe of Herr Estentrauzen, and for which we paid him ten thousand marks.  It is the most silent, the most secret, the most swift poison yet discovered.”

“I got it for myself,” she said coldly.  “There have been times when I have felt that the possession of something of that sort was an absolute necessity.”