"Carewe?"  the  Englishman  repeated  thought-
fully. "Are  you  not  Maurice  Carewe,  of  the
American  Legation  in  Vienna?"

"Yes."

"May  I  ask  you  a  few  questions?"

"A  thousand."

"A  fellow-countryman  of  mine  has  mysteriously
disappeared.  He  left  Vienna  for  Bleiberg,  saying
that  if  nothing  was  heard  of  him  within  a  week's
time,  to  make  inquiries  about  him.  This  request


248         THE     PUPPET     CROWX

was  left  with  the  British  ambassador,  who  has  just
written  me,  adding  that  a  personal  friend  of  the
gentleman  in  question  was  in  Bleiberg,  and  that
this  friend  was  Maurice  Carewe,  attache  to  the
American  Legation.  Are  you  acquainted  with
Lord  Fitzgerald,  son  of  my  late  predecessor?"

"I  am  indeed.  I  saw  him  in  Vienna/'  said
Maurice;  "but  he  said  nothing  to  me  about  com-
ing here,"  which  was  true  enough.  "Is  there  any
cause  for  apprehension?"

"Only  his  request  to  be  looked  up  within  a  cer-
tain time.  The  truth  is,  he  was  to  have  come  here
on  a  peculiar  errand,"  with  lowered  voice.  "Did
you  ever  hear  of  what  is  called  'Fitzgerald's  folly  ?' "

"Yes;  few  haven't  heard  of  it."  Maurice  could
never  understand  why  he  resisted  the  impulse  to
tell  the  whole  affair.  A  dozen  words  to  the  man
at  his  side,  and  the  catastrophes,  even  embryonic,
would  be  averted.  "You  must  tell  me  who  most
of  these  people  are,"  he  said,  in  order  to  get
around  a  disagreeable  subject.  "I  am  a  total
stranger."

"With  pleasure.  That  tall,  angular  old  man,  in
the  long,  gray  frock,  with  decorations,  is  Marshal
Kampf.  You  must  meet  him;  he  is  the  wittiest
man  in  Bleiberg.  The  gentleman  with  the  red
beard  is  Mollendorf  of  the  police.  And  beside
him — yes,  the  little  man  with  glasses  and  a  loose
cravat — is  Count  von  Wallenstein,  the  minister  of
finance.  That  is  the  chancellor  talking  to  the
archbishop.  Ah,  Mr.  Carewe,  these  receptions  are
fine  comedies.  The  Marshal,  the  count  and  Mol-
lendorf represent  what  is  called  the  Auersperg


THE     PUPPET     CROWN         249

faction  under  the  rose.  It  is  a  continual  battle  of
eyes  and  tongues.  One  smiles  at  his  enemy,
knows  him  to  be  an  enemy,  yet  dares  not  touch  him.
