of you to
me."

On which the Prince passed the comment of a sceptical smile. "Ah but, my
dear, if extraordinary things come from people's taking an interest in
you--"

"My life in that case," she asked, "must be very agitated? Well, he
liked me, I mean--very particularly. It's only so I can account for my
afterwards hearing from him--and in fact he gave me that to-day," she
pursued, "he gave me it frankly as his reason."

"To-day?" the Prince inquiringly echoed.

But she was singularly able--it had been marvellously "given" her, she
afterwards said to herself--to abide, for her light, for her clue, by
her own order.

"I inspired him with sympathy--there you are! But the miracle is that
he should have a sympathy to offer that could be of use to me. That was
really the oddity of my chance," the Princess proceeded--"that I should
have been moved, in my ignorance, to go precisely to him."

He saw her so keep her course that it was as if he could, at the best,
but stand aside to watch her and let her pass; he only made a vague
demonstration that was like an ineffective gesture. "I'm sorry to say
any ill of your friends, and the thing was a long time ago; besides
which there was nothing to make me recur to it. But I remember the man's
striking me as a decided little beast."

She gave a slow headshake--as if, no, after consideration, not THAT way
were an issue. "I can only think of him as kind, for he had nothing to
gain. He had in fact only to lose. It was what he came to tell me--that
he had asked me too high a price, more than the object was really worth.
There was a particular reason, which he hadn't mentioned, and which had
made him consider and repent. He wrote for leave to see me again--wrote
in such terms that I saw him here this afternoon."

"Here?"--it made the Prince look about him.

"Downstairs--in the little red room. While he was waiting he looked at
the few photographs that stand about there and recognised two of them.
Though it was so long ago, he remembered the visit made him by the lady
and the gentleman, and that gave him his connexion. It gave me mine,
for he remembered everything and told me everything. You see you too had
produced your effect; only, unlike you, he had thought of it again--he
HAD recurred to it. He told me of your having wished to make each other
presents--but of that's not having come off. The lady was greatly taken
with the piece I had bought of him, but you had your reason ag