by the familiarities she had offered or by those that, so pictured,
she had had to endure. That the partner of her bargain had yearned to
see her again, that he had plainly jumped at a pretext for it, this
also she had frankly expressed herself to the Prince as having, in no
snubbing, no scandalised, but rather in a positively appreciative
and indebted spirit, not delayed to make out. He had wished, ever
so seriously, to return her a part of her money, and she had wholly
declined to receive it; and then he had uttered his hope that she had
not, at all events, already devoted the crystal cup to the beautiful
purpose she had, so kindly and so fortunately, named to him. It wasn't
a thing for a present to a person she was fond of, for she wouldn't wish
to give a present that would bring ill luck. That had come to him--so
that he couldn't rest, and he should feel better now that he had told
her. His having led her to act in ignorance was what he should have been
ashamed of; and, if she would pardon, gracious lady as she was, all the
liberties he had taken, she might make of the bowl any use in life but
that one.

It was after this that the most extraordinary incident of all, of
course, had occurred--his pointing to the two photographs with the
remark that those were persons he knew, and that, more wonderful still,
he had made acquaintance with them, years before, precisely over the
same article. The lady, on that occasion, had taken up the fancy of
presenting it to the gentleman, and the gentleman, guessing and dodging
ever so cleverly, had declared that he wouldn't for the world receive an
object under such suspicion. He himself, the little man had confessed,
wouldn't have minded--about THEM; but he had never forgotten either
their talk or their faces, the impression altogether made by them, and,
if she really wished to know, now, what had perhaps most moved him, it
was the thought that she should ignorantly have gone in for a thing not
good enough for other buyers. He had been immensely struck--that was
another point--with this accident of their turning out, after so long,
friends of hers too: they had disappeared, and this was the only light
he had ever had upon them. He had flushed up, quite red, with his
recognition, with all his responsibility--had declared that the
connexion must have had, mysteriously, something to do with the impulse
he had obeyed. And Maggie had made, to her husband, while he again
stood before he