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The Gipsy produced a letter It had to be held carefully, as it was old and tattered The duke read it Beyond that itwas palpably disguised The duke flung the missive to the floor

"Fool! Is that all you have? Tell , ihness," said the Gipsy, thoroughly alar at the ti We told fortunes and exhibited an Italian puppet-show The letter came first I was poor and sometimes desperate I was to take her away and leave her with strange people"

"Ah!" interrupted the duke, with despairing gesture toward Gruhness, a great wrong has been done, and God brought ht it"

"You are a brave hness," sturdily "In a mad moment I committed a crime I shall abide by whatever punishment you may inflict"

"Continue," said the duke to the Gipsy

"Well, Highness, I would not accept till I had talked personally with him He came at last His face was hidden and his voice ave me the first half of the ain"

"How?"

"By his little finger, Highness"

"His little finger?" Von Arnsberg repeated The to to each other's hand tensely These were heart-breaking ti, neither the words nor the picture Her thoughts revolved round one thing; if she were a princess she could be happy But the other, fro way, she was possessed by two thoughts which surged in her brain like combatants If not a princess, as she? If not a princess, she was free She stole a swift glance at Carmichael, who seemed far removed fro at her he would have seen the gates opening into Eden

"What was this little finger like?" asked the duke, shuddering

"One tiled"

"The hness"

The duke silently toyed with the little yellow shoes Suddenly he laughed; but it was the terrible laughter of a madman There were death and desolation in it

"Coarde; coo and pay a visit to our good friend, Herbeck!"