and sing those Southern
songs of hers that ah so full of music...."

He dropped his pencil and sat very still for a space, looking ahead of
him out of the window.

The panorama, framed by its limited sash of wilful winds playing havoc
with the clouds, became obliterated by the picture of her, sitting by
a wide and sunny window, backed by those gay pillows, thrumming with
slim white fingers on the guitar and singing.

Again Cyclona waked him from his day dream with a touch. He ran his
fingers through his hair, staring at her.

"Is that you, Charlie," he asked her.

"Not Charlie," she answered. "Cyclona."

"I beg yoah pahdon," he said. "Ve'y often now you seem to me to be
Charlie. I don't know why."

"Tell me more about the Princess," soothed Cyclona, "is she so
beautiful?"

"Beautiful," echoed Seth. "She is fit fo' any palace, she is so
beautiful. And when the Wise Men come out of the East we will build it
fo' her. It shall have gold do'knobs and jewelled ornaments and rare
birds of gay plumage to sing and keep her company, and painted
ceilings and little cupids carved in mahble, and theah shall be graven
images set on onyx pedestals and some curious Hindoo gods squatting,
and a Turkish room of red lights dimmed by little carved lanterns and
rich, rare rugs and pictuahs by great mastahs in gilded frames, and
walls lined with the books she loves best in royal bindings.... And
she shall have servants to wait upon her and do her bidding and we
will send to Paris fo' her gowns and her bonnets and her wraps. And
she shall have carriages and coachmen and footmen. A Victoria, I think
I shall odah fo' her, ve'y elegant, lined with blue to match her
eyes.... No--that would be too light. Her eyes are beautiful, Cyclona.
Don't think fo' a moment that they are not, but can you undahstan', I
wondah, how eyes can be ve'y beautiful and yet of a cold and steely
blue that sometimes freezes the blood in youah veins? A little too
light, perhaps, and that gives them the look of cleah cold cut steel.

"I shall have the linings of her Victoria light, but not quite so
light, a little dahkah and wahmah, perhaps, the footmen with a livery
to match. That goes without sayin'. And she shall have outridahs, too,
if she likes, as in the olden time back theah at home in the South. No
grand dame of the ole and splendid South she loves so well shall be so
grand as she, shall be so splendid as she when we shall have finished
the beautiful hou