"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.

Across the dim belt of light from the open doorway in which they
stood, crawled the dark figure of a man. Her hand unconsciously
touched his back as if seeking reassurance.

He shivered beneath its gentle weight. Another form followed the
first, pausing in the light to look toward their doorway. The
abductor was doubtless remembering the instructions to chloroform
the Countess. Then came the odor of chloroform. Oh, if Anguish
were only there!

The second figure was lost in the darkness and a faint glow of
light came from the canopied bed in the corner The chloroformer
holding the curtains had turned his screen-lantern, toward the
pillow in order to apply the dampened cloth. Now was the time to
act!