Ten o'clock
She had saved him , and she was willing to pay the price . Preparations began at once for the eventful transaction in the throne room . The splendor of two Courts was to shine in rivalry . Ten o'clock was the hour set for the meeting of the two rulers , the victor and the victim . Her nobles and her ladies , her ministers , her guards and her lackeys moved about in the halls , dreading the hour , brushing against the hated Axphain guests . In one of the small waiting rooms sat the Count and Countess Halfont , the latter in tears . The young Countess Dagmar stood at a window with Harry Anguish .