The face of the Prince betrayed boundless astonishment when the "beautiful girl" was called "Excellency," and when he saw that she was not a stranger to his friend. He speedily drew near for an introduction to this acquaintance, and Hartmut could not avoid presenting the Prince Adelsberg to the Baroness Wallmoden.
He touched upon the forest encounter very lightly, for the lady found it convenient to-day to enshroud herself in her haughty reserve. It was hardly necessary, for Rojanow observed the strictest reticence. Both seemed decided to treat the acquaintance as a very slight and formal one.
Egon had thrown a glance of the liveliest reproach upon his friend. He could not understand how Hartmut could have kept such a meeting to himself; but, after that, he cast himself with ardor into the conversation. He announced himself a neighbor, mentioned his recent call at Furstenstein, and expressed his regret at having missed Frau von Wallmoden at that time. A conversation was commenced, in which the Prince exhibited his amiability and vivacity, while retaining the reserve of etiquette. He knew from the beginning that he stood before the wife of the Ambassador, whom one could not approach with a bold compliment, as Hartmut had ventured.
Finally his happy, unaffected good humor succeeded in diminishing the icy atmosphere which surrounded the beautiful woman, and he had the good fortune of being permitted to show and explain to her the surrounding country.
CHAPTER XVI.
Hartmut did not join in the conversation with his usual vivacity, and when he again drew out the glass from his pocket, at the Prince's request, he suddenly missed his letter-case.
The watchman offered at once to look for it, but Rojanow declared he would do it himself. He remembered exactly the place where something had slipped to the floor when he came up the stairs, which he had not noticed at the time. It was the letter-case, no doubt, and he would find it with little trouble and return. Saying which, he bowed and departed.
Under other circumstances Egon would doubtless have thought it strange that his friend should refuse the offer of the old man and take upon himself the trouble of searching the dark stairway, but he was at present so totally occupied with his office of explanatory exhibitor that he did not seem to regret being left alone.
Frau von Wallmoden had accepted the glass which he offered her and followed with apparent attention his explanations as he pointed out all the various heights and villages.
"And over yonder, behind those hills, lies Rodeck," he concluded; "the little hunting lodge where we live like two hermits, cut off from all the world, having only the company of monkeys and parrots, which we brought from the Orient, and which have already become quite melancholy."