she.

For two days after meeting the Princess Della Robbia she was thoughtful,
and a little absent-minded even with Vanno; but when his brother and
sister-in-law came together to call upon her, Marie appeared so
light-hearted, so entirely at ease, that Mary began to regain her
spirits again. It was foolish to feel sad and anxious, almost
conscience-stricken, about Marie, if Marie had none of these feelings
about herself.

Then Mrs. Winter gave a large "At Home" in Miss Grant's honour, which
was a great success. Marie did not come, because she was unfortunately
suffering with headache; but Prince Della Robbia appeared, and stood
most of the time near Mary and Vanno.

It was wonderful how many people knew and liked the Winters. All the
most interesting "personages" on the Riviera passed through Rose's
pretty rooms that afternoon, if but to say "How do you do?" and
"Goodbye," and make the acquaintance of Prince Vanno, with the
Princess-to-be. Everybody came, from a dowdy and perfectly charming
German royalty down to poor old General Caradine, who had played
roulette for twenty-five years, with the same live Mexican toad for a
fetish; whose two great boasts were that he had learned the language of
birds, and that he had fought a duel with a man for defaming Queen Mary
of Scots. There were an English Foreign Secretary and a leader of the
Opposition hobnobbing together. There was an author who wrote under two
names, and had come to study Monte Carlo in order to write two
epoch-making novels, one in favour of the Casino, one against, and was
taking notes of everybody he met, for both books. There was an Austrian
princess who had more beautiful jewels than any woman at Monte Carlo,
except a celebrated dancer who was taking a rest cure at the Hotel de
Paris; and there was the princess' half-sister who had married a poor
artist and lived in his house in the mountains, doing her own cooking.
Also there were all Rose's queer black sheep who yielded meekly to her
ribbon-wreathed crook, though they "butted" against George's methods.
Some of these were seriously shorn sheep, yet Rose would not for worlds
have hurt their feelings by forgetting to invite them.

It was a marvellously incongruous assemblage, as most large and
far-reaching entertainments at Monte Carlo must be; and odd things
happened in corners behind tea-tables, such as young gamblers producing
large wads of notes freshly won in the Rooms and flourishing them under