A crown, a fine revenge, in one fell
swoop."
"She will ruin him utterly?"
"Utterly."
"Have you any idea what sort of man my friend is?"
"He lacks the polish of a man of affairs, and he surrenders too
easily."
"He will never surrender--Madame."
"How?"
"You remember his father; he will prove his father's son, every
inch of him. O, my Colonel, the curtain has only risen. One fine
morning your duchy will wake up without a duchess."
"What do you imply--an abduction?" The Colonel laughed.
"That is my secret."
"And the pretty countess?" banteringly.
"It was rather bad taste in Madame. It was putting love and
patriotism to questionable purposes. I am a gentleman."
"It was out of consideration for you; Madame was not quite sure
about you. But you are right; all of it has rather a dark shade.
You may rob a man of his valuables and give them back; a broken
word is not to be mended. Why did you keep the hiding place so
secret? I could have got those consols, and all this would have
been avoided."
"How should I know where they were? It was none of my affair."
"We are trusting you; I might have gone myself.
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