They next drove on again and, when they stopped for another meal, it was more to give the horses a rest than because they themselves were hungry.
In the afternoon Paulina realised that they were driving steadily uphill.
Ahead she could see mountains and guessed that they were part of the great range that divided Altauss on the North and East from Saxony and Prussia.
Because she knew that the Prince wanted it to be a surprise, she did not ask questions but was content to hold his hand under the rug.
‘This is exactly how my whole life will be in future,’ she thought, ‘in his hands and I can imagine nothing more blissful.’
It was nearly seven o’clock when a narrow bridge over a deep chasm carried them from Prussia into Altauss.
As the horses reached the ground on the other side, the Pri
