“Who are you?” she asked, touching his arm.

“I am a foreigner—­an American—­Grenfall Lorry!  Hurry!” he implored.

She did not move for a moment, but he distinctly heard her catch her breath.

“Am I dreaming?” she murmured, faintly.  Her fingers now clutched his arm tightly.

“I should say not!  I don’t like to order you around, your Highness, but—­”

“Come—–­come to the light!” she interrupted, excitedly.  “Over here!”

Noiselessly she drew him across the room until the light fell across his face.  It was not a bright light, but what she saw satisfied her.  He could not see her face, for she stood outside the strip of dusky yellow.

“Two men lie beneath your window, and two are coming to this room.  Where shall I go?  Come, be quick, madam!  Do you want to be carted off to Ganlook?  Then don’t stand there like a—­like a —­pardon me, I won’t say it”.

“I trust you fully.  Shall I alarm the guard?” she whispered, recovering her self-possession.

“By no means.  I want to catch those devils myself.  Afterwards we can alarm the guards!”

“An ideal American!” she surprised him by saying.  “Follow me!”

She led him to the doorway.  “Stand here, and I will call the Countess.  At this side, where it is dark.”

She opened the door gently and stood in the light for a second.  He saw before him a graceful figure in trailing white, and then he saw her face.  She was Miss Guggenslocker!

“My God!” he hoarsely gasped, staggering toward her.  “You!  You!  The Princess?”

“Yes, I am the Princess,” she whispered, smiling as she glided away from his side.  His eyes went round in his head, his legs seemed to be anywhere but beneath him, he felt as though he were rushing toward the ceiling.  For the moment he was actually unconscious.  Then his senses rushed back, recalling his mission and his danger.

“She is sleeping so soundly that I fear to awaken her,” whispered a soft voice at his back, and he turned..  The Princess was standing in the doorway.

“Then pray stand back where you will be out of danger.  They will be here in a moment, unless they have been frightened away.”

“You shall not expose yourself,” she said, positively.  “Why should you risk your life now?  You have accomplished your object.  You have saved the Princess!”

“Ah—­yes, the Princess!” he said.  “And I am sorry you are the Princess,” he added, in her ear.

“Sh!” she whispered, softly.

The door through which he had first come was softly opened, and they were conscious that some one was entering.  Lorry and the Princess stood in the dark shadow of a curtain, she close behind his stalwart figure.  He could hear his own heart and hers beating, could feel the warmth of her body, although it did not touch his.  His heart beat with the pride of possession, of power, with the knowledge that he had but to stretch out his hand and touch the one woman in all the world.