"His  Excellency,  the  Austrian  ambassador!"
announced  the  orderly.
The  archbishop  bowed  and  left  the   apartment.
"Your  Highness,"  began  the  Austrian,  "his  Im-
perial Majesty  commands  your  immediate  evacu-
ation of  Bleiberg,  and  that  you  delay  not  your  depart-
ure to  the  frontier.  This  kingdom  is  a  crown
land.  It  shall  remain  so  by  the  consent  of  the
confederation.  If  you  refuse  to  obey  this  injunc-


THE     PUPPET     CROWN         425

tion,  an  army  will  enforce  the  order.  Believe  me,
Madame,  this  office  is  distasteful  to  me,  but  it  was
not  avoidable.  What  disposition  am  I  to  submit
to  his  Majesty?"

"Monsieur,"  she  said,  "I  am  without  choice  in  the
matter.  To  pit  my  forces  against  the  emperor's
would  be  neither  politic  nor  sensible.  I  submit."
There  was  not  a  sign  of  any  emotion,  no  hint  of  the
terrible  wrath  which  lay  below  the  surface  of  those
politely  modulated  tones.  But  it  seemed  to  her  as
she  stood  there,  the  object  of  all  eyes,  that  some
part  of  her  soul  had  died.  Her  pride  surmounted
the  humiliation,  the  pride  of  a  woman  and  a  prin-
cess. She  would  show  no  weakness  to  the  world.
"Then,  Madame,"  said  the  ambassador,  sup-
pressing the  admiration  in  his  eyes  at  this  evi-
dence of  royal  nonchalance,  "I  shall  inform  his
Majesty  at  once."

When  he  had  gone,  Madame  turned  coldly  to
her  stricken  followers.  "Messieurs,  the  fortunes
of  war  are  not  on  our  side.  I  thank  you  for  your
services.  Now  leave  me;  I  wish  to  be  alone."

One  by  one  they  filed  out  into  the  corridors.
