'But you do not believe—you cannot believe——'
'About the commission? No—of course not: the idea of your being colonel of a regiment of such wretches as the Black Mountaineers is too absurd! Savages whose tastes for strong waters, the property of their neighbours, and the noses, ears, and even the skulls of their enemies, are proverbial,' she added with a shudder. 'Besides, I understand that you never even heard of Kara Georgevitch?'
'Never before. I knew not there was such a person in existence.'
'How singular! I have met him often at Vienna; danced with him at the palace on the west side of Innerstadt, and know that he—admired me very much,' she added, with a little smile.
'His commission had my name in it, my accusers assert.'
'I do not yet understand the mystery of that—though how it came into your possession is plain enough to me.'
'And to be accused of killing a couple of Montenegrins——'
'Who would have killed you if they could! The concealed paper was a dernier ressort, in case you escaped them. Oh, it is all so like the subtle and elaborate villany of Mattei!'
'And how absurd is the accusation that I meant to carry away the King's despatches for the service of Kara Georgevitch or the Turks, when I risked life to defend them!'
'Time will unravel all this—meantime, I shall watch over you, if I can,' said she, almost tenderly, holding out her hand to him ungloved, with a pretty yet imperious air, as if to show its whiteness and beauty, for she was a coquette to the tips of her fingers.