her who keeps rather a
strict watch over him, and he is not allowed to stay up in town very
long at a time."

"I know the name," Forrest remarked. "They are a very old Roman
Catholic family. We'll come and dine, if you say that you can arrange
it. But I don't see how we can all hope to get an invitation out of him
on such a short acquaintance."

The Princess was looking thoughtful.

"Leave it to me," she said. "I have an idea. Be at the Savoy at a
quarter past eight, and bring Lord Ronald."

Forrest took up his hat. He looked at the Princess with something very
much like admiration in his face. For years he had dominated this
woman. To-day, for the first time, she had had the upper hand.

"We will be there all right," he said. "Engleton will only be too glad
to be where Jeanne is. I suppose young De la Borne is the same way."

The Princess sighed.

"Every one," she remarked, "is so shockingly mercenary!"

CHAPTER II

The Princess helped herself to a salted almond and took her first sip
of champagne. The almonds were crisp and the champagne dry. She was
wearing a new and most successful dinner-gown of black velvet, and she
was quite sure that in the subdued light no one could tell that the
pearls in the collar around her neck were imitation. Her afternoon's
indisposition was quite forgotten. She nodded at her host approvingly.

"Cecil," she said, "it is really very good of you to take in my two
friends like this. Major Forrest has just arrived from Ostend, and I
was very anxious to hear about the people I know there, and the frocks,
and all the rest of it. Lord Ronald always amuses me, too. I suppose
most people would call him foolish, but to me he only seems very, very
young."

The young man who was host raised his glass and bowed towards the
Princess.

"I can assure you," he said, "that it has given me a great deal of
pleasure to make the acquaintance of Major Forrest and Lord Ronald, but
it has given me more pleasure still to be able to do anything for you.
You know that."

She looked at him quickly, and down at her plate. Such glances had
become almost a habit with her, but they were still effectual. Cecil de
la Borne leaned across towards Forrest.

"I hear that you have been to Ostend lately, Major Forrest," he said.
"I thought of going over myself a little later in the season for a few
days."

"I wouldn't if I were you," Forrest answered. "It is overrun just now
with the wrong sort of p