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“It is you who cause it,” she retorted.

“I can see no other way out of it than that I have suggested;” and as she made no reply, we walked round and round the fountain in silence.

The silence was broken by the sound of a galloping horse, and presently a man, top-booted and travel-stained, hurried from the house towards us.

“From M. Boreski, mademoiselle,” he said in Russian, handing her a letter.

She tore it open, and a newspaper cutting dropped from it, which I picked up and held out to her.

She read the letter quickly, started, paled slightly, and then glanced at me, her expression a mixture of excitement and amusement.

“Will you read what you have there? It is from a paper just issued.”

I read it, and could not refrain from a smile on my part. It was very short and ran as follows:—

“Slight indisposition of the Emperor.—We regret to learn at the moment of going to press that His Majesty is suffering from a slight chill, and, acting under medical advice, will remain in his room to-day. We have the highest authority for saying that the indisposition is very slight indeed, and at most will keep him indoors for a couple of days. This announcement is necessary to allay any anxiety on the part of the public owing to his inability to review the troops in person to-day, as had been arranged. There is no doubt, however, that he will entirely have recovered by the time of the Crown Prince of Sweden’s visit three days hence.”