"How do you explain the mystery of the veiled lady?"
"I cannot explain it, your ladyship; she is never mentioned in our correspondence."
"She may be a prisoner, detained at the castle by force."
"That cannot be; for she has a hundred opportunities to escape, or to ask for help."
Here the surveyor managed to express his belief that the reason the lady wore a veil was because of the repulsiveness of her face.
At this, a voice that had not yet been heard said, at the lower end of the table:
"But the lady is one the most beautiful creatures I ever saw—and quite young."
Every eye was turned toward the speaker.
"What? Audiat? How dares he say such a thing?" demanded the vice-palatine.
"Because I have seen her."