But to tell the whole truth, the fact that I had not had a word from the Little Playmate, not so much as a line of script nor a verbal message since her disappearance, made me more eager to go than the high politics of a dozen provinces.
Since the duel, and the final declaring of my love for Helene, I had seen but little of the Princess.

Indeed, I kept out of her way, so far at least as I could.

And the Lady Ysolinde remained mostly in her own domains--to which, of late, I had been less and less invited.
Nevertheless, when we met, she was more than kind to me--gentle, forbearing, pathetic almost in bearing and demeanor, like as a woman wronged, slighted, misconstrued.
Also there was sent to my quarters a new banner for my following, broidered and blazoned in yellow and blue, a saddle-cloth of silk for my horse, fine as a woman's robe, with a crowned Y faint and small in the corner, lettered in straw-colored gold.

No man could help being touched by such kindly thought, which, after all, is more than mere liberality.
Yet I saw a sight upon her stairs one night which awoke me with a sudden start to the fact that we had one to reckon with in our journeying to the city of Thorn whom we had not as yet taken into consideration.
For it chanced that I was passing up to the Prince's apartments by the quicker way, through corridors and by stairs to which he had given me private access.

And there, upon the steps leading to the Lady Ysolinde's rooms, I saw the decent servitor of Master Gerard stand waiting.