xt Monday," he said promptly. As a
matter of fact, he had forgotten the day of the week they were now
living in.

"Monday? Oh, dear!"

"Will you?"

"I--I must cable home first," she faltered.

"That's a mere detail, darling. Cable afterward. It will beat us home
by three weeks. They'll know we're coming."

"I must ask John, really I must, Truxton," she protested faintly.

"Hurray!" he shouted--in a whisper. "He is so desperately in love, he
won't think of refusing anything we ask. Shall we set it for Saturday?"

They set it for Saturday without consulting John Tullis, and then fell
to discussing him. "He is very much in love with her," she said
wistfully.

"And she loves him, Loraine. They will be very happy. She's wonderful."

"Well, so is John. He's the most wonderful man in all this world."

"I am sure of it," he agreed magnanimously. "I saw him talking with her
and the Duke of Perse as I came out awhile ago. They were going to the
Duke's rooms up there. The Duke will offer no objections. I think he'll
permit his daughter to select his next son-in-law."

"How could he have given her to that terrible, terrible old man?" she
cried, with a shudder.

"She won't be in mourning for him long, I fancy. Nobody will talk of
appearances, either. She could marry Jack to-morrow and no one would
criticise her."

"Oh, that would be disgusting, Truxton!"

"But, my dear, he isn't to have a funeral, so why not? They buried his
body in quicklime this afternoon. No mourners, no friends, no tears!
Hang it all, she's foolish if she puts on anything but red."

"They can't be married for--oh, ever so long," she said very primly.

"No, indeed," he said with alacrity. But he did not believe what he
said. If he knew anything about John Tullis, it would not be "ever so
long" before Prince Robin's friend turned Benedict and husband to the
most noted beauty in all Graustark.

"I shall be sorry to leave Graustark," she said dreamily, after a long
period of silent retrospection. "I've had the happiest year of my life
here."

"I've had the busiest month of my life here. I'll never again say that
the world is a dull place. And I'll never advise any man to go out of
his own home city in search of the most adorable woman in the world.
She's always there, bless her heart, if he'll only look around a bit for
her."

"But you wouldn't have found me if you hadn't come to Graustark."

"I shudder when I think of what might have happe