crow. "We have all been together
now for many weeks. Yet, who you are none of us knows."

"I am the princess," laughing.

"Oh, yes; of course; I forgot. But I mean your real name."

"My real name? Have you ever before asked me what it is?"

"Perhaps we have been a little afraid of you," put in Smith.

The shadow of a smile lay upon her lips and vanished. "My name is Sonia
Hilda Grosvenor." And her voice was music.

"Pardon me," said O'Mally drolly, "but were any of your
ancestors--er--troubled with insanity?"

This query provoked a laughter which gave them all a sense of relief.

"My father had one attack of insanity, since you ask." La Signorina's
face sobered. She stepped over to the wall, rested upon it, and searched
the deepening eastern horizon. Yes, her father had been insane, and all
her present wretchedness was due to this insanity of a rational mind.
For a moment she forgot those about her, and her thought journeyed
swiftly back to the old happy days. "Yes, there is a species of insanity
in my veins." She turned to them again. "But it is the insanity of a
sane person, the insanity of impulse and folly, of wilfulness and lack
of foresight. As Mr. O'Mally said, I have gone and done it. What
possessed me to say that I am the princess is as inexplicable to me as
to you, though you may not believe it. But for me there is no
withdrawing now; flight would do us no good. We, or I, I should say,
have created a suspicion, and if we ran away we should be pursued from
one end of Italy to the other, till this suspicion was dissipated. We
should become suspects, and in Italy a suspect is liable to immediate
arrest. I am sorry that I have tangled you up in this. I release you all
from any promise," proudly.

"If you talk like that--" began O'Mally.

"Sh!" Smith elbowed him sharply in the small ribs.

"It's all right, Smith. No one can force me into a scrape of this sort;
but when she speaks like that! Signorina, or I should say, Miss
Grosvenor, you have the most beautiful voice in the world. Some day, and
we are all out of jail, I expect to hear you in the balcony scene with
some famous _tenore robusto_ as Romeo. You will be getting three
thousand a week. You needn't bother about the telegram; but I'll have to
have a new suit," touching the frayed cuffs of his coat. "Now, if we go
to jail, how'll we get out?"

"Trust me!" La Signorina had recovered her gaiety.

"Well," said Smith, "suppose we go and break the n