ano?" she delightedly cried.

"A Mantovano!" he proudly gave back.

"A Mantovano!"--it carried even Lady Sandgate away.

"A Mantovano--a sure thing?" Mr. Bender jumped up from his business, all
gaping attention to Hugh.

"I've just left our blest Bardi," said that young man--"who hasn't the
shadow of a doubt and is delighted to publish it everywhere."

"Will he publish it right here to _me?_" Mr. Bender hungrily asked.

"Well," Hugh smiled, "you can try him."

"But try him how, where?" The great collector, straining to instant
action, cast about for his hat "Where _is_ he, hey?"

"Don't you wish I'd tell you?" Hugh, in his personal elation, almost
cynically answered.

"Won't you wait for the Prince?" Lady Sandgate had meanwhile asked of
her friend; but had turned more inspectingly to Lady Grace before he
could reply. "My dear child--though you're lovely!--are you sure you're
ready for him?"

"For the Prince!"--the girl was vague. "Is he coming?"

"At five-forty-five." With which she consulted her bracelet watch, but
only at once to wail for alarm. "Ah, it _is_ that, and I'm not dressed!"
She hurried off through the other room.

Mr. Bender, quite accepting her retreat, addressed himself again
unabashed to Hugh: "It's your blest Bardi I want first--I'll take the
Prince after."

The young man clearly could afford indulgence now. "Then I left him at
Long's Hotel."

"Why, right near! I'll come back." And Mr. Bender's flight was on the
wings of optimism.

But it all gave Hugh a quick question for Lady Grace. "Why does the
Prince come, and what in the world's happening?"

"My father has suddenly returned--it may have to do with that."

The shadow of his surprise darkened visibly to that of his fear. "Mayn't
it be more than anything else to give you and me his final curse?"

"I don't know--and I think I don't care. I don't care," she said, "so
long as you're right and as the greatest light of all declares you are."

"He _is_ the greatest"--Hugh was vividly of that opinion now: "I could
see it as soon as I got there with him, the charming creature! There,
_before_ the holy thing, and with the place, by good luck, for those
great moments, practically to ourselves--without Macintosh to take in
what was happening or any one else at all to speak of--it was but a
matter of ten minutes: he had come, he had seen, and _I_ had conquered."

"Naturally you had!"--the girl hung on him for it; "and what was
happening