Veronica came in and Hinpoha immediately jumped up and drew her forward with an air of great ceremony.  “Girls,” she said impressively, “meet Lady Veronica Szathmar—­er—­Lehar.  She’s a real baroness,” she added.

Agony and Oh-Pshaw looked first at each other in astonishment, and then with eager interest at the slim, dark-eyed girl before them.

Veronica laughed and came forward simply, cordially acknowledging the introduction.  Then she turned to Hinpoha.  “I thought you understood my name was just Veronica Lehar,” she said reproachfully.

“Of course,” murmured Hinpoha, her mind on the tremendous impression her casual mention of the sonorous title had apparently made on the Twins.  Then she launched into a full account of Veronica’s history for their benefit.

“You are a Hungarian, are you?” Agony asked Veronica, and Nyoda noticed that she drew back and her tone had become somewhat frigid.  Quickly, she flung herself into the breach, and sending Veronica out to tell Hercules that Kaiser Bill was in the geranium bed, she graphically described Veronica’s passionate outbreak of a few nights before and told of her intense desire to be an American.  The coldness died from Agony’s expressive face as she listened and when Veronica returned she treated her with sincere cordiality.  Nyoda, however, still felt disturbed about Veronica.  With the intense feeling of patriotism that people naturally had they would be quite likely to look askance at Veronica when they heard that she belonged to a baronial family of Hungary and her father had been a Captain in an Austrian regiment.

“Veronica,” she said seriously, “I don’t know whether it’s a wise thing for you to tell people about yourself with such perfect frankness.  It’s all right with us here, of course, because we understand your feelings, but you know at such a time as this there are always people who are on the lookout for sensations, and if it were generally known that you were a Hungarian girl with a title some people might misunderstand, and it might make you unhappy.  I would avoid the subject of nationality as much as possible, and not speak so freely about your father’s having been in the Austrian army.”

Thus did Nyoda endeavor to shield Veronica from further coldness and looks of suspicion such as she had seen displayed by Agony directly she heard that Veronica was an alien enemy.

“I suppose it would be better not to tell people about it,” agreed Veronica.  “No one knows that my real name isn’t Lehar, outside of my uncle’s family, and you,” said Veronica lightly.  “I’ve never told anyone else about it.”

“We haven’t told anyone but Agony and Oh-Pshaw,” said the Winnebagos, and promised to keep the secret inviolate.

“May I ask you also to say nothing about it?” Nyoda asked the Twins.

“Certainly we’ll keep it to ourselves,” replied Agony readily.  “I think it’s perfectly epic to have such a secret.  We wouldn’t divulge it for worlds, would we, Oh-Pshaw?”