would be rather----"

"You see if we----"

"We might possibly----"

"_Good_ morning, all!" said Belvane, sweeping into the room. She
dropped a profound curtsey to the Princess. "Your Royal Highness!
And dear Prince Udo, looking his own charming self again!"

She had made a superb toilet. In her flowing gold brocade, cut square
in front to reveal the whitest of necks, with her black hair falling
in two braids to her knees and twined with pearls which were caught up
in loops at her waist, she looked indeed a Queen; while Hyacinth and
Udo, taken utterly by surprise, seemed to be two conspirators whom she
had caught in the act of plotting against her.

[Illustration: _"Good morning," said Belvane_]

"I--I thought you weren't well, Countess," said Hyacinth, trying to
recover herself.

"I not well?" cried Belvane, clasping her hands to her breast. "I
thought it was his Royal Highness who---- Ah, but he's looking a true
Prince now."

She turned her eyes upon him, and there was in that look so much of
admiration, humour, appeal, impudence--I don't know what (and Roger
cannot tell us, either)--that Udo forgot entirely what he was going to
say and could only gaze at her in wonder.

Her mere entry dazzled him. There is no knowing with a woman like
Belvane; and I believe she had purposely kept herself plain during
these last few days so that she might have the weapon of her beauty to
fall back upon in case anything went wrong. Things had indeed gone
wrong; Udo had become a man again; and it was against the man that
this last weapon was directed.

Udo himself was only too ready. The fact that he was once more
attractive to women meant as much as anything to him. To have been
attractive to Hyacinth would have contented most of us, but Udo felt a
little uncomfortable with her. He could not forget the last few days,
nor the fact that he had once been an object of pity to her. Now
Belvane had not pitied him.

Hyacinth had got control of herself by this time.

"Enough of this, Countess," she said with dignity. "We have not
forgotten the treason which you were plotting against the State; we
have not forgotten your base attack upon our guest, Prince Udo. I
order you now to remain within the confines of the Palace until we
shall have decided what to do with you. You may leave us."

Belvane dropped her eyes meekly.

"I am at your Royal Highness's commands. I shall be in my garden when
your Royal Highness wa