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Only one man knows that the Princess was not present, one man and two women. Of the latter, one is the Princess von Steinheimer, and the other, the lady who impersonated her. The one man is Lord Donal Stirling, of the Diplomatic Service, whose name is no doubt familiar to you. Lord Donal has done me the honour to place the case in my hands."
"Cadbury Taylor called here yesterday, and was very anxious to see you. Has he been in again this afternoon?" "You mean the detective? No, I haven't seen him since that day at the Schloss Steinheimer. What did he want with me?"
The puzzled expression on his face deepened as he glanced over the invitation, and saw that it was exactly what it purported to be. He gave the letter back to her, saying, "So you are here to see the fashions. It is a subject I know little about; but, judging by effect, I should say that the Princess von Steinheimer has nothing to learn from anyone present.
But of course the Princess von Steinheimer told you of it. She wrote to me charging me with all sorts of wickedness for endeavouring to find you." "No, Lord Donal, I did not learn it from her. In fact, if you had opened the door of the inner room at Mr.
Here the diamond robbery took place something like two months ago, and the affair is still as great a mystery as ever. The Princess was to open the season at Meran, which is a fashionable resort, by giving a fancy dress ball in Schloss Steinheimer, to which all the Austrian and foreign notables were invited.
"Should I be so fortunate as to get an invitation to the Schloss Steinheimer, may I hope that a red rocking-chair will be allotted to me? I have not sat in one since I was in the States." "Yes, one for you; two for the Ambassador," said Jennie, with a laugh.
Cadbury Taylor, however, said nothing about the search being ended, and a few days later Jennie received a disquieting letter from the Princess von Steinheimer. "My dear Jennie," her Highness wrote, "I am sure the detectives are after you, and so I thought it best to send you a word of warning.
"I thought her name was among the list of those present." "It was in the list, and that is just where our mystery begins. Someone else attended the ball as the Princess von Steinheimer; it is this person that I wish to find." "Ah, then you are employed by the Duke of Chiselhurst?" "No, I am not, for, strangely enough, I believe the Duke thinks it was actually the Princess who attended the ball.
"His Excellency the Austrian Ambassador begs to be permitted to pay his regards to the Princess von Steinheimer." Lord Donal Stirling never took his eyes from the face of his companion, and he saw a quick pallor overspread it. He leaned forward and whispered, "I know the Ambassador; if you do not wish to meet him, I will intercept him."
Arriving at Claridge's, she was well aware her first danger was that someone who knew the Princess von Steinheimer would call upon her; but on the valid plea of fatigue from her journey she proclaimed that in no circumstances could she see any visitor, and thus shipwreck was avoided at the outset.
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