ther occupant of the
hacienda sala was Bebello, the greyhound. He sprang up from a Hungarian
bear rug, and frisked about her joyfully. Her greeting to him was
equally sincere. Quietly releasing her hand, she patted him fondly, and
cooed endearing French. "My little Tou-Tou! Pauvre petite bete!" Then,
raising her head, she seemed to perceive His Majesty, "Isn't a bit
older, is he, sire?"

"Mademoiselle!" the man exclaimed reproachfully.

All the time he was staring at her. He stared at the tempestuous
ruffling of her petticoat, which had a wanton air that was most
disturbing, at the rebosa tossed rakishly over her shoulder, with the
waistline beneath as languorously suggested as though she were
Spanish-born to rebosas, and lastly, at a freckle on the very tip of the
creamy nose. He admired extravagantly, but he was no less amazed to see
her at all. A moment before he had supposed her demurely breaking hearts
at St. Cloud, and Paris under her feet. He knew how capable she was. It
had happened to him. How he had sought her, before she left! And how
maddening she was! He could recall nothing of encouragement, and yet,
blind, susceptible fool, he had never ceased to be encouraged. She was a
master craftsman, since her art was hidden. Then she had gone back to
France; some said because of a note from Napoleon. But he was of the
gloomy opinion that she had simply ceased to amuse herself. Yet for all
that, here she was again, and the astonished prince was eager to suffer
yet more, if it amused her still.

She explained in a word, as though their meeting in the Huasteca were
nothing extraordinary. Away from Mexico, she had discovered that she
wanted to return to Mexico. The man left in Mexico would have augured
much from this, but at her matter-of-fact tone the glad light faded from
his eyes. Jacqueline, by the way, was a good manager. She reminded him
that she had no mother nor father nor other relative in France--which
disposed of France. Then, though he winced, she added that the
experiment of a New World court was a novel spectacle and she enjoyed it
more than the conventional affairs in Europe. Accordingly she would
resume her place as first lady of honor. At Tampico she had wearied of
ocean travel, and--well, that was all.

Maximilian shuddered. He imagined the terrors she must have encountered.
"But, mademoiselle, the bandits? You did not come alone through that
terrible coast country?"

"Of course not, sire. And th