"A letter from the king?" she cried, curious. "Should it not be brought to me on a golden salver?"
"It is probable that I am bringing it to you at the end—of a bayonet," solemnly. "If the duke learns its contents the inevitable result will be war."
A silence fell upon them and grew. This was the bitterest moment but one in the chancellor's life.
"I believe," she said finally, "that it will not be necessary to read his majesty's letter. He declines the honor of my hand: is that not it?"
The chancellor signified that it was.
"Ah!" with a note of pride in her voice and a flash in her eyes. "And I?"
"You will tell the duke that you have changed your mind," gravely.
"Do princesses change their minds like this?"
"They have often done so."
"In spite of publicity?"