It's only so I can account for my afterwards hearing from him--and in fact he gave me that to-day," she pursued, "he gave me it frankly as his reason." "To-day ?" the Prince inquiringly echoed.
But she was singularly able--it had been marvellously "given" her, she afterwards said to herself--to abide, for her light, for her clue, by her own order.
"I inspired him with sympathy--there you are! But the miracle is that he should have a sympathy to offer that could be of use to me.

That was really the oddity of my chance," the Princess proceeded--"that I should have been moved, in my ignorance, to go precisely to him." He saw her so keep her course that it was as if he could, at the best, but stand aside to watch her and let her pass; he only made a vague demonstration that was like an ineffective gesture.

"I'm sorry to say any ill of your friends, and the thing was a long time ago; besides which there was nothing to make me recur to it.

But I remember the man's striking me as a decided little beast." She gave a slow headshake--as if, no, after consideration, not THAT way were an issue.

"I can only think of him as kind, for he had nothing to gain.