posed the group. They ran up in such a way that they separated the two women from Frederick and enabled them to escape into a narrow street. They soon found a gondola which took them home.
Frederick was greatly upset to lose sight of the woman he believed to be Adelaide and at the same time his jealousy was stimulated at the thought that all these men were so much impressed by her that they followed her around.
"My friend," he said to Mersburg, "do you believe there is a more curious situation in the world?"
"I don't see it as such," said Mersburg with the greatest sangfroid. "This woman is not Adelaide. Let's question these people and we will see if I am mistaken."
"Gentlemen," he said to several young men, "could you tell us why all of you are so much interested in this women. My friend and I have not noticed anything special about her which would require so much attention."
"You have certainly not seen her with her face uncovered," answered one of the men. "She is the most beautiful woman in Europe."
"Do you know who she is?"
As Mersburg was fairly sure what the answer would be, he asked one of the men to tell Frederick in German.
"This woman," said one of them in very poor German, "is an adventuress from Naples who has come here to make her fortune, and she picked the right time because the season is especially good for women of that kind. She is as beautiful as she is heedless. She was mixed up with the Contarini in the plot to overthrow the government. She was about to lose her life, but she was able to leave the prison through the influence of the rival of Contarino, who has become her lover. The first one lost her, the second one saved her. I am sorry, but I cannot tell you more. It is forbidden in Venice to talk about affairs of state, and perhaps we have already talked too much."
They disappeared.
"Well, my Prince," said the count smiling, "you see well that you were wrong. Would your wife have taken part in such a plot to overthrow the government? Would she be the
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