I am
quite sure of it. You know dear Stroebel had a genius for gaining
information."
"I have heard as much," and Shirley and the Baron smiled at Judge
Claiborne's tone.
The storm was diminishing and Shirley grew more tranquil. Soon the
Ambassador would leave and she would send Armitage away; but the mention
of Stroebel's name rang oddly in her ears, and the curious way in which
Armitage and Chauvenet had come into her life awoke new and anxious
questions.
"Count von Stroebel was not a democrat, at any rate," she said. "He
believed in the divine right and all that."
"So do I, Miss Claiborne. It's all we've got to stand on!"
"But suppose a democratic prince were to fall heir to one of the European
thrones, insist on giving his crown to the poor and taking his oath in a
frock coat, upsetting the old order entirely--"
"He would be a fool, and the people would drag him to the block in a
week," declared the Baron vigorously.
They pursued the subject in lighter vein a few minutes longer, then the
Baron rose. Judge Claiborne summoned the waiting carriage from the
stable, and the Baron drove home.
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