and body, my head is uneasy
enough with lying and I've ceased to care a bit about the crown."

"Why, Molly, wouldn't you like to be a princess?"

"Not after this trip. Do you know what straits she's driven me to?
actually I came near taking a Turk at Trieste."

"Did you?"

"No, I didn't. I thought it over and I decided I wasn't built for the
monopoly of a harem."

Rosina burst out laughing.

"Molly," she gasped, "imagine _you_ confined to only one man, and he
your lord and master!"

"I couldn't possibly imagine it, and I make it a point to never go in
for anything that I can't imagine. But, my dear, I must tell you the
great news. Being engaged is an old habit with me; but" (she put her
hand to her throat and felt within her high stock) "you must know that I
am now actually in love, for the first time in my life, too."

"Oh, Molly, since when?"

"Three weeks. Wait till I fish up my locket and you shall see him.
Handsome is nowhere! And our meeting was _so_ romantic. I was lying on
the bottom of a boat waiting to be paddled into the Blue Grotto, and at
the last minute a stranger came, and they laid him down at my feet. When
we got into the grotto, of course we stood up; and it was lucky we did,
for we fell in love directly, and of course we couldn't have fallen
unless we were standing."

"Oh, Molly, who is he? do show me the picture."

"That's what I'm trying to do, but I think the clasp has hooked on to
Captain Douglas' locket,--you remember Captain Douglas!--I can't pull it
anyway. Never mind, I'll show you to-night."

"Is he English?"

"English, no; he's Italian. Such eyes you never saw. They're warmer than
white porcelain tile stoves in early autumn. And he belongs to the
Queen-mother's regiment, and wears the most resplendent uniform and a
gray cape that he just carelessly sweeps across his chest and up over
the other shoulder--ah!"

Molly stopped to draw a deep breath and sigh.

"Where is he stationed?" her friend inquired.

"Rome; and he hasn't a cent beyond his pay, so we can't think of any
future which makes him _so_ blue."

"Poor fellow! do you consider yourself engaged to him?"

"Of course I'm engaged to him. He came a whole day's journey to propose.
You don't suppose I'd say 'no' to a chap who was awfully hard up, and
then took a long, expensive trip just on my account! Besides, I'm most
desperately in love with him, and he is the kind of man who couldn't
come to time any other way. H