“And now we come to the pièce de résistance, to use a wonderful old French phrase,” said the baron as they climbed up the narrow, circular stairway. “At the top we will emerge into one of the most delightful spots on the whole estate.”

One by one they followed him up the tight stone steps, arriving at the top, making a quick turn, then through a door ahead of them, and suddenly finding themselves greeted by bright sunlight.

“I hadn’t realized how dark it was inside!” exclaimed Thaddeus, shielding his eyes.

“You’ll be accustomed to it in a minute,” said Sabina. “It happens every time, except on a dark cloudy day.”

Gradually, they wandered to the edges of the flat stone balcony and stood at the parapet wall gazing out over the flat expanses below them toward the north, east, and south. It was silent for several minutes as Thaddeus and Matthew slowly made their way around the perimeter of the three sides, taking in everything they could see below them.

“It’s wonderful,” said Thaddeus at length, stopping while his son continued around. “The view is positively stunning. And it’s so quiet and peaceful besides. It makes me wish we could stay a week!”

“Why don’t you?” rejoined Baron von Dortmann. “The invitation is open-ended.”

“Duties press, Baron,” sighed McCallum. “Unfortunately, this calm quiet here is not indicative of the state of the rest of Europe.”

Now it was the baron’s turn to sigh wistfully. “I know you are right,” he said, “as much as I try sometimes to dismiss it from my thoughts. Just look at them there,” he added, nodding toward the two young people who were standing at the balcony’s southeast corner, peering into the distance where Sabina was pointing out the location of the hunting box they had climbed in the woods. “I fear for their future,” the baron went on. “I fear for what is coming at the hand of our idolized leader. I fear that this world we now know is passing, Thaddeus—that the serenity of this time is slowly vanishing. I fear especially for such as they—young, carefree, full of life, innocent—”

Suddenly he stopped, shivering involuntarily. Premonitions of gloom came over him more often these days. He shook it off, then gave a little laugh. “Forgive me! Sometimes I grow pensive and begin reflecting to myself.”

“Think nothing of it, Baron. I appreciate your candor. It is not so usual to hear a German talk as you do.”

“I would hesitate to say such things to another of my kind. There are eyes and ears everywhere.”

The baron could not have known how accurate were his words, for even at that moment two eyes focused on him from afar.