get Daphne to himself for a few minutes on the way back to
the Palace.

"Well, Lady Daphne," he began, "I've done what I could to please you,
and I hope you are satisfied, what?"

"Indeed I am, Prince Clarence," she said warmly, for he had risen
several places in her esteem during the past hour. "And I congratulate
you most heartily. And now things will be ever so much pleasanter for
you, won't they?" As she spoke she noticed the pendant, which, of
course, she recognised immediately.

"Ah, you're looking at this," he said. "Daresay it strikes you as funny
my wearing it?"

"Not at all, Sir," she replied; "it isn't really a woman's ornament."
She did not tell him how she knew it was not, for she had not forgotten
her undertaking to say nothing about it.

"Well, it was the Mater's," he said. "She's made me promise to wear it
always. Thinks it may bring me luck."

"I hope it will, Prince Clarence," she said, quite sincerely; and, as
the Queen happened to look back just then and summon her sharply to her
side, that was all that passed between him and Daphne on that occasion.

She was rather pleased than otherwise that he should be the possessor of
the pendant. As has been said, she had never known her father, so there
were no tender associations attaching to it. And she had been a little
afraid that Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson had only bought it out of
consideration for her. It was some relief that she had found a use for
it. Daphne was, of course, quite unaware who her unknown father had been
or that the pendant was a badge of his princely rank; and both the Queen
and her son had no suspicion of the truth. Nor did either of them
connect it with his suddenly acquired mastery of the whole art of
horsemanship, Queen Selina believing that his reports of previous
unsuccess had been intended to increase the surprise of his triumph,
while Clarence naturally found it easy to persuade himself that he had
been learning more from his disheartening failures than he had been
conscious of at the time. He certainly did not hide his new talent in a
napkin, but organised riding excursions of the lords and ladies of the
Royal household, at the head of which he made a very gay and gallant
appearance on a prancing bay palfrey. Only there was one thorn in his
luxuriously padded saddle. He had hoped that he might have the pleasure
of commanding Daphne to ride by his side on these excursions, but,
though she accompanied them, it was never on