rincess or Jeanne herself. The world was full of girls perfectly
willing to tumble into his arms, and mothers only too anxious to push
them there. Why should he put himself in this position for Jeanne,
great heiress though she might be? But somehow or other, after he had
tossed off two glasses of champagne at the buffet, he realized that his
fancy for her was a real thing, and one from which he could not so
readily escape. If she had wished to deliberately attract him, she
could scarcely have chosen means more calculated to attain that end
than by this avowed indifference, even dislike. He sat by himself in a
small smoking-room and thought of her--her slim girlish perfection of
figure and bearing, her perfect complexion, her beautiful eyes, her
scarlet lips. All these things came into his mind as he sat there,
until he felt his cheeks flush with the desire to succeed, and his eyes
grow bright at the thought of the time when he should hold her in his
arms and take what revenge he chose for these slights. No! he would not
let her go, he determined. Dignified or undignified, he would pursue
her to the end, only he must have an understanding with the Princess,
something definite must be done. He would not run the risk again of
being made a laughing-stock before all his friends. Forrest found him
in exactly the mood most suitable for his purpose.

"Come and talk to the Princess," he said. "She has something to say to
you."

De Brensault rose somewhat heavily to his feet.

"And I," he said, "I, too, have something to say to her. We will take a
glass of champagne together, my friend Forrest, and then we will seek
the Princess."

Forrest nodded.

"By all means," he said. "To tell you the truth I need it."

De Brensault looked at him curiously.

"You are very pale, my friend," he said. "You look as though things
were not going too well with you."

"I have been annoyed," Forrest answered. "There is a man here whom I
dislike, and it made me angry to see him with Miss Jeanne. I think
myself that the time has come when something definite must be done as
regards that child. She is too young to be allowed to run loose like
this, and a great deal too inexperienced."

"I agree with you," De Brensault said solemnly. "We will drink that
glass of wine together, and we will go and talk to the Princess."

They found the Princess where Forrest had left her. She motioned to De
Brensault to sit by her side, and Forrest left them.