Mounting to one of the electrical railroads, we were soon at the house of the Prince. Passing around to the servants' entrance of the palace, Maximilian sent in his card to the Master of the Servants, who soon appeared, bowing deferentially to my friend. We were ushered into his private room. Maximilian first locked the door; he then examined the room carefully, to see if there was any one hidden behind the tapestry or furniture; for the room, like every part of the palace, was furnished in the most lavish and extravagant style. Satisfied with his search, he turned to Rudolph, as the Master of the Servants was called, and handed him the message he had received, which gave the history of Estella. "Read it," he said. Rudolph read it with a troubled countenance. "Yes," he said, "I am familiar with most of the facts here stated, and believe them all to be true. What would you have me do?" "First," said Maximilian, "we desire to know if Estella is still in ignorance of the purpose for which she was brought here." "Yes," he replied; "Frederika is jealous of her, as I can see, and has contrived to keep her out of the Prince's sight. She has no desire to be supplanted by a younger and fairer woman." "God be praised for that jealousy," exclaimed Maximilian. "We must see Estella; can you manage it for us?" "Yes," he said, "I will bring her here. I know she is in the
"No; but I can get it." "Do so, pray; and when you bring her here introduce me to her as Mr. Martin, and my friend here as Mr. Henry. She may refuse our assistance, and we must provide against the revenge of the Prince." "I will do as you command," replied Rudolph, who acted throughout as if he felt himself in the presence of a superior officer. As we sat waiting his return I was in a state of considerable excitement. Delight, to know that she was still the pure angel I had worshiped in my dreams, contended with trepidation as I felt I must soon stand in her presence. The door opened and Rudolph entered; behind him came the tall form of the beautiful girl I had seen in the carriage: she seemed to me fairer than ever. Her eyes first fell upon me; she started and blushed. It was evident she recognized me; and I fancied the recognition was not unpleasant to her. She then turned to Maximilian and then to Rudolph, who introduced us as we had requested. I offered her a chair. She sat down, evidently astonished at such an interview, and yet entirely mistress of herself. After a moment's pause,--for Maximilian, as he told me afterwards, was too bewildered with her splendid beauty to speak,--she said, in a sweet and gentle voice: "Mr. Rudolph tells me that you desire to speak to me on matters of importance." At a sign from Maximilian Rudolph closed and locked the door. She started, and it seemed to me that her eyes turned to me with more confidence than to either of the others. "Miss Washington," said Maximilian, "it is true we desire to speak with you on matters of the greatest moment to yourself. She had grown paler during this speech, and I then said: "Be assured that nothing but the profound respect we feel for you, and the greatest desire to serve you, and save you from ruin, could have induced us to intrude upon you." Her face showed her increasing alarm; she placed her hand on her heart, as if to still its beatings, and then, with constrained dignity, replied: "I do not understand you, gentlemen. I do not know what the dangers are to which you allude. Can you not speak plainly?" "My friend here, Mr. Henry," said Maximilian, looking at me, "you have, I perceive, already recognized." "Yes," she said, with another blush, "if I am not mistaken, he is the gentleman who saved the life of a poor beggar, some days since, and punished, as he deserved, our insolent driver. Miss Frederika, the Prince's niece, has, at my request, refused since that time to permit him to drive us when we go out together, as we often do. I am glad to thank you again," she said, with a charmingly ingenuous air, "for your noble act in saving that poor man's life." "It was nothing," I said, "but if the service was of any value it has been a thousand times repaid by your kind words." "You can easily imagine," said Maximilian, "that my friend here, after that interview, was naturally curious to find out something about you." She blushed and cast down her eyes; and the thought flashed across my mind that perhaps she had been likewise curious to find out something about me. "I am a member," said Maximilian, "of a secret society. We have a 'Bureau of Inquiry' whose business it is to collect information, for the use of the society, concerning every
Estella smiled, and reached forth her hand for the paper with the dignity of conscious courage and high blood. "Let me read it," she said; "I do not think it can tell me anything I cannot endure." Maximilian delivered the paper into her hand. I watched her face as she read it. At first there was a look of wonder at the minuteness of the knowledge of her family which the paper revealed; then the interest became more intense; then the eyebrows began to rise and the blue eyes to dilate with horror; then an expression of scorn swept over her face; and as she read the last word she flung the paper from her as if it had been a serpent, and rising up, yes, towering, a splendid image of wrath, she turned upon us and cried out: "This is a base falsehood! A cowardly trick to wound me! A shameful attempt to injure my dear aunt." And, wheeling around on Rudolph, her eyes blazing, she said: "Unlock that door! I shall reveal at once to the Prince this attack on his good name and Miss Frederika. How dare you bring these men here with such falsehoods?" Rudolph, alarmed for himself, hung his head in silence. He was trembling violently. "Rudolph," said Maximilian, solemnly, "I call upon you, As he finished reading Estella seized the receipt quickly out of his hands, and fixed her eyes eagerly upon the signature. In a moment she became deadly pale, and would have fallen on the floor, but that I caught her in my arms--(oh, precious burden!)--and bore her to a sofa. Rudolph brought some water and bathed her face. In a few minutes she recovered consciousness. She looked at us curiously at first, and then, as memory returned to her, an agonized and distraught look passed over her features, and I feared she would faint again. I held some water to her lips. She looked at me with an intense look as I knelt at her side. Then hey eyes passed to Maximilian and Rudolph, who stood respectfully a little distance from her. The tears flowed down her face. Then a new thought seemed to strike her, and she rose to a sitting posture. "It cannot be true. My aunt could not do it. You are strangers to me. It is a conspiracy. I will ask Frederika." "No! no!" said Rudolph; "not Frederika; it would not be to her interest to tell you the truth. But is there any one of the servants in whom you have more confidence than all the others?" "Yes," she said, "there is Mary Callaghan, an honest girl, if there is one anywhere. I think she loves me; and I do not believe she would deceive me." "Then," said Rudolph, "you shall send for her to come here. None of us shall speak to her lest you might think we This was done, and in a few moments Mary appeared--an honest, stout, rosy-cheeked Irish girl, with the frank blue eyes and kindly smile of her people. "Mary," said Estella, "you have always been kind to me. Do you love me sufficiently to tell me the truth if I ask you some questions?" "Sure, and you may do so, my dear," said Mary. "Then, Mary, tell me, is Frederika the Prince of Cabano's niece?" "Niver a drop's blood to him," replied Mary. "What is she doing in his house, then?" asked Estella. "Sure, it would be as much as my place is worth, ma'am, to answer that question; and hard enough it is for an honest girl to get a place now-a-days. If it hadn't been for Barney McGuiggan, who married my brother's sister-in-law, and who is own cousin to Mr. Flaherty, the butler's second assistant, I couldn't have got the place I have at all, at all. And if I said a word against Miss Frederika, out I would go, and where would I find another place?" "But, Mary, if you speak the truth no harm shall follow to you. I shall never repeat what you say. I do not ask out of idle curiosity, but much depends on your answer." "Indeed, ma'am," replied Mary, "if you weren't as innocent as ye're purty, you would have found out the answer to your own question long ago. Faith, an' don't everybody in the house know she's"--here she approached, and whispered solemnly in her ear--"she's the Prince's favorite mistress?" Estella recoiled. After a pause she said: "And, Mary, who are the other young ladies we call the Prince's cousins--Miss Lucy, Miss Julia and the rest?" "Ivery one of them's the same. It's just as I told Hannah, I could see from where I was hidden that Estella grasped the back of a chair for support, and she said in a low voice: "You may go, Mary; I am much obliged to you for your friendship and honesty." We found her sitting in the chair, with her hands over her face, sobbing convulsively. At last she looked around upon us and cried out: "Oh my God! What shall I do? I am sold--sold--a helpless slave. Oh, it is horrible!" "You will never be without friends while we live," I said, advancing to her side. "But I must fly," she cried out, "and how--where?" "My dear Miss Washington," said Maximilian, in his kindest tones, "I have a dear mother, who will be glad to welcome you as her own child; and in our quiet home you can remain, safe from the power of the Prince, until you have time to think out your future course of life; and if you conclude to remain with us forever you will be only the more welcome. Here is Rudolph, who will vouch for me that I am an honorable man, and that you can trust yourself to me with safety." "Yes," said Rudolph; "Maximilian Petion is the soul of honor. His simple word is more than the oath of another." "Then let us fly at once," said Estella. "No," replied Rudolph, "that would not do; this house is guarded and full of spies. You would be followed and reclaimed." "What, then, do you advise?" asked Maximilian.THE INTERVIEW