Albert was right. The mysterious woman apparently decided not to pursue the flirtation further. Although the young men made several more circuits, they didn't see the carriage again, it had turned down a side street.
They returned to the palace, but both the Count and the woman in blue had disappeared. The two windows draped with yellow fabric were still occupied by the Count's other guests.
At that moment, the same bell that had announced the carnival's beginning now signaled its end for the day. The procession broke up, and within seconds all the carriages had vanished. Franz and Albert found themselves on a different street. Without a word, their driver took them down various roads, past plazas and palaces, until they stopped at their hotel entrance.
