an, he's the chap she's going to marry."

"Marry?" gasped Chase.

"The hereditary prince of Brabetz--Karl Brabetz."

"Good Lord!"

"You must have known."

"How the dev--Of course I didn't know," groaned Chase. "But hang it all,
man, he was annoying her. She was flouting him for it. She said she
despised him. I don't understand----"

The Princess came forward into the light of the path. There was a quaint
little wrinkle of mirth about her lips, which trembled nevertheless, but
her eyes were full of solicitude.

"I'm sorry, sir," she began nervously. "You have made a serious mistake.
But," she added frankly, holding out her hand to him, "you meant to
defend me. I thank you."

Chase bowed low over her hand, too bewildered to speak. Baggs was
pulling at his mustache and looking nervously in the direction which the
Prince had taken.

"He'll be back here with the guard," he muttered.

"He will go to my father," said Genevra, her voice trembling. "He will
be very angry. I am sorry, indeed, that you should have witnessed
our--our scene. Of course, you could not have known who he was----"

"I thought he was a--but in any event, your highness, he was annoying
you," supplemented Chase eagerly.

"You _will_ forgive me if I've caused you even greater, graver
annoyance. What can I do to set the matter right? I can explain my error
to the Duke. He'll understand--"

"Alas, he will not understand. He does not even understand me," she said
meaningly. "Oh, I'm so sorry. It may--it will mean trouble for you."
There was a catch in her voice.

"I'll fight him," murmured Chase, wiping his brow.

"Deuce take it, man, he won't fight you," said Baggs. "He's a prince,
you know. He can't, you know. It's a beastly mess."

"Perhaps--perhaps you'd better go at once," said the Princess, rather
pathetically. "My father will not overlook the indignity to--to my--to
his future son-in-law. I am afraid he may take extreme measures. Believe
me, I understand why you did it and I--again I thank you. I am not angry
with you, yet you will understand that I cannot condone your kind
fault."

"Forgive me," muttered the hapless Chase.

"It would not be proper in me to say that I could bless you for what you
have done," she said, so naively that he lifted his eyes to hers and let
his heart escape heavenward.

"The whole world will call me a bungling, stupid ass for not knowing who
he was," said Chase, with a wretched smile.

Her face brigh