ould
have been able to guess."

"It is God's truth, then, that I could not," Stephanu admitted
sullenly; "and what is more, neither could you in my place have made
a guess--no, not with all your wisdom."

"But you travelled back with all speed? You have seen her?"

"I travelled back with all speed." Stephanu repeated the words as a
child repeats a lesson, but whether ironically or not his face did
not tell. "Also I have seen her. And that is the devil of it."

"Will you explain?"

"She will have nothing to do with me; nor with you. I told her that
you would be upon the road and following close after me. Naturally I
said nothing of the cavalier here, for I knew nothing--"

"Did she ask?" I inquired.

Stephanu appeared to search his memory. "Now I come to think of it
she _did_ let fall a word. . . . But I for my part supposed you to be
dead; and, by the way, signore, you will accept my compliments on
your recovery."

Marc'antonio's frown had deepened. "You mean to tell me, Stephanu,"
he persisted, "that the Princess will have none of us?"

"She bade me go my ways, and not come near her; which was cold
welcome for a man after a nine day's sweat. She added that if I or
Marc'antonio came spying upon her, or in any way interfering until
she sent for us, she would appeal to her brother against us."

"Was the Prince present when she said this?"

"He was not. He was away hunting, she said, in the direction of
Nonza; but in fact he must have gone reconnoitring, for he had left
the camp all but empty--no one at home but Andrea and Jacopo Galloni,
whose turn it was with the cooking--these and the Princess. But the
Prince has returned since then, for I heard his horn as I crossed the
pass."

Stephanu, as we moved forward, kept alongside Marc'antonio's bridle,
or as nearly alongside as the narrow track allowed. I, bringing up
the rear, could not see the trouble in Marc'antonio's face, but I
heard it in his voice as he put question after question.
"The Princess was not a prisoner." "No; nor under any constraint
that Stephanu could detect. She had her gun; was in fact cleaning
and oiling its lock very leisurably when he had walked into camp.
He had found her there, seated on a rock, with Andrea and Jacopo
Galloni at a little distance below preparing the meal and taking no
notice of her. In fact, they could not see her, because the rock
overhung them."

"She must have been sitting there for sentry," said