"Her Serene Highness," he said, "who has already deigned to give us many tokens that our humble counsels are not altogether unappreciated by her, has chosen to-night for a final attestation of this, and proposes to confer on the gentlemen here present the Royal Order of the Garter of Schwannenwald. Allow me, gentlemen, to be the first to congratulate you on this honour."
With this, he stepped to a side table and returned with a jeweller's box and a small velvet cushion, the former of which he handed to the Duchess. The Duchess placed her hand in the box and laid one of the glittering orders on the cushion, which the equerry immediately bore round to the first recipient, who, rising, fell on his knee at the Duchess's chair, murmuring his thanks and devotion as he kissed her hand. The same thing happened until it came to the turn of the man who had been inclined to speak at the first. Then I noticed a shade cross the Duchess's face, and—
"How is this, sir?" she cried angrily to the equerry. "Is Count Heindrich to receive no order, or is this some ill-timed pleasantry on your part?" and she held up the empty box.
"Your Highness misjudges me," answered the equerry; "the mistake is evidently a stupid one of the jeweller's, and if I have your Highness's permission, and that of Count Heindrich,"—and he glanced towards that gentleman, who was now scowling freely—"I will to-morrow——"
"Nay, if that be all," broke in the Duchess, gaily, "I think I can rectify it, at any rate for the time," and she rose from her seat and disappeared behind a large screen. A moment later she reappeared, holding something in her hand.
"After all, it is the giver, not the gift," she said, advancing with a blush to Count Heindrich, "and 'twas how the order originated," and she handed the pretty bauble to him. It was a dainty notion, cleverly conceived and cleverly carried out, and I could see from the flush that mantled the heavy face of the man that he was her slave from that time.
This incident had hardly terminated, when there was a knock on a door of the room situated beyond the council table and immediately opposite where I stood, and the equerry hastily went out, closing the door behind him. He re-entered almost immediately, bearing a small scrap of paper, twisted in the form of a note, which he handed to the Duchess, who opened and read it.
"Gentlemen," she said, "I am compelled to break up the meeting, and to ask you to retire at once, and by the usual exit."
As soon as their footsteps had died away, the Duchess rose to her feet, and went slowly towards the wall. As she did so, the electric light in her room was suddenly extinguished, while mine became a blaze of light, and at the same time the heavy curtains dividing the rooms rolled wide apart.
The Duchess regarded me for a minute with a quiet smile, then—