"You forget," I interposed, "that there would be England to be reckoned with. England is bound to help France in the event of a German invasion."
She smiled confidently.
"I don't fancy," she remarked, "that England could help much."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Perhaps not," I admitted; "yet I do not believe that German intervention will ever win for Mr. de Valentin the throne of France."
She changed the subject abruptly.
"Apart from this, let me ask you something else, Mr. Courage. Supposing the plot should succeed. How do you think it will be with us at the French Court? You know more about these things than we do. Shall we be accepted as the original holders of these titles would have been? Do you think that we shall have trouble with the French aristocrats?"
"I am afraid, Mrs. Van Reinberg," I answered, "that I am scarcely competent to answer such questions. Still, you must remember that your country-people have secured a firm footing in France, and it will be the King himself who will be your sponsor."
She raised her head. Her self-confidence seemed suddenly to have become re-established.
"You are right, Mr. Courage," she said. "It was absurd of me to have any doubts at all. And now let me ask you—if I may—a more personal question."