pay you what you ask."

The girl laughed.

"Prince," she said, "you will excuse me if I call you a fool. There are
no letters from von Schaumberg, and I have gone through the whole of the
correspondence."

"What, then, suggested the name von Schaumberg to you? Where did you
ever hear it before?"

"I heard that you suspected him of stealing the diamonds."

"And so he did, the cowardly thief. If it were not for mixing the
Princess's name with such carrion as he, I would--"

But the Prince in his rage stamped up and down the room without saying
what he would do. Miss Baxter quickly brought him to a standstill.

"It is contrary to my duty to the Princess," she began, hesitatingly,
when he stopped and turned fiercely upon her.

"What is contrary to your duty?"

"There are letters, tied very daintily with a blue ribbon, and they are
from a man. The Princess did not allow me to read them, but locked them
away in a secret drawer in her dressing-room, but she is so careless
with her keys and everything else, that I am sure I can get them for
you, if you want them."