I call rational," murmured Mrs Jefferson in Colonel
Estcourt's ear. "Do you think he knows what he means. I guess he
don't... Gracious!"

She started, and suddenly grasped his arm. "Look," she said, "there's
the princess in the doorway. Is she coming in? No! She's moving away.
I believe she's going into the drawing-room after all. Did you see
her?"

"No," said Colonel Estcourt. "Are you sure it was the princess?"

His face looked strangely pale. She saw that his hand trembled as he
laid down his knife on the plate before him.

"Sure?" exclaimed Mrs Jefferson, with asperity. "Of course I'm sure!
It's not easy to mistake _her_, I fancy. I can't think why you didn't
catch sight of her. She just looked in as she passed, I suppose."

"No doubt," he said. But the gravity and uneasiness of his face
deepened.

Just then one of the waiters paused beside Mrs Jefferson's chair. She
turned eagerly to him. "Watson," she said, "just oblige me by going to
the drawing-room and finding out if Madame Zairoff is there. I guess,"
she added laughingly to Colonel Estcourt, "that I'm not going to waste
my time over thirteen courses if she is."

Still he did not speak, and his unusual pallor and gravity began to
affect the lively little American woman. She helped herself to truffled
pheasant, and became absorbed in gastronomical duties.

Two or three minutes passed, when the man who had gone on her errand
returned. She glanced eagerly up.

"Madame Zairoff is not in the drawing-room," he said in a low voice. "I
met her maid on the stair-case, and she says that madame is not well
enough to leave her apartments this evening."

"But, good gracious me," began Mrs Jefferson, with angry impatience.
"I saw--"

"Hush," said Colonel Estcourt in a low, impressive voice. "Oblige me by
saying nothing about it. Remember, I too was looking in the same
direction, yet I saw--nothing."

Mrs Jefferson dropped her knife and fork and stared at him.

"Now, Colonel," she said, "am I in my senses, or am I not? I've only
had iced water to drink. I believe I'm a commonplace person eating a
commonplace, though very excellent, dinner. Nothing's been playing
tricks with my nerves I can swear, and I do assure you that the Princess
Zairoff stood there in that doorway and looked in here, not five minutes
ago. Why, I'll even tell you the gown she had on. It was thick white
silk and had a border of soft-looking white fur. There!" she