“That was either irony or the prettiest speech a woman ever uttered,” he said, warmly.  “I also am curious about something.  You were reading over my shoulder in the observation car—­” “I was not!” she exclaimed, indignantly.  “How did you know that?” she inconsistently went on.

“You forget the mirror in the opposite side of the car.”

“Ach, now I am offended.”

“With a poor old mirror?  For shame!  Yet, in the name of our American glass industry, I ask your forgiveness.  It shall not happen again.  You will admit that you were trying to read over my shoulder.  Thanks for that immutable nod.  Well, I am curious to know what you were so eager to read.”

“Since you presume to believe the mirror instead of me, I will tell you.  There was a despatch on the first page that interested me deeply.”

“I believe I thought as much at the time.  Oh, confound this road!” For half a mile or more the road had been fairly level, but, as the ejaculation indicates, a rough place had been reached.  He was flung back in the corner violently, his head coming in contact with a sharp projection of some kind.  The pain was almost unbearable, but it was eased by the fact that she had involuntarily thrown her arm across his chest, her hand grasping his shoulder spasmodically.

“Oh, we shall be killed!” she half shrieked.  “Can you not stop him?  This is madness—­madness!”

“Pray be calm!  I was to blame, for I had become careless.  He is earning his money, that’s all.  It was not stipulated in the contract that he was to consider the comfort of his passengers.”  Grenfall could feel himself turn pale as something warm began to trickle down his neck.  “Now tell me which despatch it was.  I read all of them.”

“You did?  Of what interest could they have been?”

“Curiosity does not recognize reason.”

“You read every one of them?”

“Assuredly.”

“Then I shall grant you the right to guess which interested me the most.  You Americans delight in puzzles, I am told.”

“Now, that is unfair.”

“So it is.  Did you read the despatch from Constantinople?” Her arm fell to her side suddenly as if she had just realized its position.

“The one that told of the French ambassador’s visit to the Sultan?”

“Concerning the small matter of a loan of some millions—­yes.  Well, that was of interest to me inasmuch as the loan, if made, will affect my country.”

“Will you tell me what country you are from?”

“I am from Graustark.”

“Yes; but I don’t remember where that is.”

“Is it possible that your American schools do not teach geography?  Ours tell us where the United States are located.”

“I confess ignorance,” he admitted.

“Then I shall insist that you study a map.  Graustark is small, but I am as proud of it as you are of this great broad country that reaches from ocean to ocean.  I can scarcely wait until I again see our dear crags and valleys, our rivers and ever-blue skies, our plains and our towns.  I wonder if you worship your country as I love mine.”