brother homewards in a ship a fortnight back, and so to stay with my
friend here on my way to Vienna, for we English are all bitten with the
madness of travel. Mr. Warner will bear me out?"

"To be sure I will," said Wogan, stoutly. "For here am I in the depths
of winter journeying to the carnival in Italy."

The Countess smiled, all disbelief and amusement, and Lady Featherstone
turned quickly towards him.

"For my frankness I claim a like frankness in return," said she, with a
pretty imperiousness.

Wogan was a little startled. He suddenly remembered that he had
pretended to know no English on the road to Bologna, nor had he given
any reason for his haste. But it was upon neither of these matters that
she desired to question him.

"You spoke in parables," said she, "which are detestable things. You
said you would not lose your black horse for the world because the lady
you were to marry would ride upon it into your city of dreams. There's a
saying that has a provoking prettiness. I claim a frank answer."

Wogan was silent, and his face took on the look of a dreamer.

"Come," said one. It was the Princess Charlotte, the second daughter of
the Prince Sobieski, who spoke. "We shall not let you off," said she.

Wogan knew that she would not. She was a girl who was never checked by
any inconvenience her speech might cause. Her tongue was a watchman's