“Prince,” she said, “you will excuse me if I call you a fool. There are no letters from von Schaumberg, and I have gone through the whole of the correspondence.”
“What, then, suggested the name von Schaumberg to you? Where did you ever hear it before?”
“I heard that you suspected him of stealing the diamonds.”
“And so he did, the cowardly thief. If it were not for mixing the Princess’s name with such carrion as he, I would—”
But the Prince in his rage stamped up and down the room without saying what he would do. Miss Baxter quickly brought him to a standstill.
“It is contrary to my duty to the Princess,” she began, hesitatingly, when he stopped and turned fiercely upon her.
“What is contrary to your duty?”
“There are letters, tied very daintily with a blue ribbon, and they are from a man. The Princess did not allow me to read them, but locked them away in a secret drawer in her dressing-room, but she is so careless with her keys and everything else, that I am sure I can get them for you, if you want them.”
“Yes, yes, I want them,” said the Prince, “and will pay you handsomely for them.”
“Very well,” replied Miss Baxter, “you shall have them. If you will wait here ten minutes, I shall return with them.”