I found them pretty well
entangled. We discussed the young Grand Duke. I gradually persuaded
her that there was no hope of a legitimate marriage with the house of
Mecklenburg-Schwerein, but because of her association with the young
Grand Duke and the fact that she had been betrothed to him, it was
only right that the Duchy provide her with some means of assistance.
The ice was perilously thin, for the lady is a high-spirited woman of
ideals and I had to be careful to word my language so that it would
not appear as though she were blackmailing. In justice to her, I
believe that if she had taken that view of it she would have dropped
the entire matter, and retired from society for the season rather than
go through with my plan. Finally I said:
" Have you any means by which you could compel the ducal house to make
adequate acknowledgments and redresses to you?"
After a long hesitation, she jumped up, swept from the room and
returned presently with a handful of letters. I saw on some of them
the Grand Duke's coat of arms. The young fool had been careless
enough for that! She shook the letters in a temper and cried:
"I wonder what Franz's uncle would say to these? Why, I could compel
him to marry me."
Here was the chance. The iron--in this case my lady's tempe--was hot.
I suggested that we sit down and talk it over. As an introductory
attack, to create the impression that I knew what I was talking about,
I hinted that I was connected with a leading family in Germany and
that I was in London _incog_.
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