Prince displayed towards him; but
he was of too chivalrous a nature to hurt the pride of a woman.

Anyway, she did not give him the real reason, which he still believed
to be that unworthy jealousy of the charming young Princess.

He shrugged his shoulders in real, or assumed, indifference. "I must
not say too much about this Zouroff, because we all know he is a great
friend of yours. He certainly might take a lesson in manners, but I
don't know that his want of them affects me very greatly."

"Still, his discourtesy hurts you, or you would not have dwelt upon it
so often as you have done," retorted Madame, woman-like following out
her point.

Corsini rose; he was rather tired of the argument.

"If it is so, Madame, I shall not pay him the compliment of staying
away. I would not give him the triumph of thinking that he was capable
of hurting me."

She saw it was useless. "It must be as you wish, Signor;" there was a
note of sadness in her voice as she turned away. She left the room,
murmuring to herself, "I have tried my best. It is the sister who
draws him, and she must wish as fervently as I do that he would stay
away."

It was early in the evening when she had sought this interview, and as
the hours sped on, bringing Corsini nearer to the time of his
appointment, her agitation increased. If she could only know if the
Princess had thought of anything, if she had taken any steps to
prevent the tragedy which she felt sure was impending.

With a woman of her nervous and excitable temperament, to express a
wish was to carry it swiftly into execution. The Opera finished early
that night. She drove home at once to her villa, summoned her maid,
and bade her change her costume.

A few moments later she came back to the waiting carriage, attired in
clothes befitting a woman of the poorer classes, and drove to within a
short distance of the Zouroff Palace. She walked on foot to the
servants' entrance and demanded to see the Princess's maid, Katerina,
on very urgent business.

The girl came to the door, wondering who her visitor could be, what
was the cause of this imperative summons.

The _prima donna_ laid her finger on her lips to impress caution and
secrecy.

"We must speak very low, if you please. I am Madame Quero, the person
you showed yesterday into your young mistress's room. Can you convey a
message from me to her now?"

Katerina looked at the strange visitor who had disguised herself so
successfully.