na detected no extravagance in his homage, she was none the
more pleased with it. It made her feel awkward and self-conscious. She
set him down in her own mind as "too finicking," while his good looks
did not happen to be of a type that appealed to her.

Still, they got through the first interview fairly well, though both
were relieved when a message came from the Court Godmother that she was
feeling too indisposed to leave her apartments, but would be glad to see
him as soon as he was at liberty. He had himself conducted to her at
once, and was not a little aggrieved, as well as surprised, by the
asperity of his reception.

"Well," she said peevishly; "so you've seen your Princess, have you?
And now I suppose it is all settled between you?"

"Not yet," he said stiffly. "I believe she is reserving her answer till
we are better acquainted."

"But you don't expect it will be unfavourable, do you?"

"Do _you_, Godmother? I can't think you would have urged me to present
myself here to be publicly humiliated."

"Oh, there's no doubt she will accept you," she said, with a sharp
twinge. "You need have no apprehensions on that score. And, as you no
longer consider beauty indispensable, I daresay she will be as
satisfactory a helpmate as you could wish."

"I daresay," he agreed dully; and then his pent-up grievance suddenly
broke out in spite of him. "With all respect to you, Godmother
Voldoiseau," he said, "I don't consider you've treated me fairly over
this! You persuaded me that it was my duty to marry at once, and that
there were better and more permanent qualities than beauty. I'm not
complaining of _that_--I am quite ready to believe that the Princess
Edna is as learned and admirable a lady as you gave me to understand,
while she is not without good looks of a kind. But why send me a vision
representing her as a miracle of loveliness? That is a deception which I
can't understand, and I confess I find hard to forgive!"

How could she have foreseen that he would be foolish enough to imagine
that the vision represented Edna? But the worst of it was that the Fairy
could not explain her real intention just then without landing herself
in fresh difficulties. So she sought refuge in prevarication.

"_I_ send you a vision!" she said. "I don't know what you're talking
about, Mirliflor. A vision, indeed!"

"Didn't it come from _you_?" he asked lamely. "I--I made sure it must
have."

"You had no business to make sure of