suddenly. "That sort
of poison doesn't have any effect upon me," she said, and she spoke with
a stateliness that brought the man's eyes swiftly down to her. "I
am--sneer-proof."

"She won't sneer at you," said Green quickly.

With her eyes looking straight up to him, she laughed.

"Oh, I quite catch your meaning, Mr. Green. But--really I am not in the
position of listening to sneers against my friends. Now will you be
satisfied?"

He laughed also though still with a touch of restraint. "Yes, I feel
better for that. You are so royal in your ways. I might have known I was
safe there."

"'Loyal' is a better word I think," said Juliet quietly. "Why should a
paid companion aspire to be any higher in the social scale than a village
schoolmaster? Do you think occupation really makes any difference?"

"Theoretically--no!" said Green.

"Neither theoretically nor practically," said Juliet. "I detest snobbery,
so do you. If you came to the Court to sweep the kitchen chimney, I
should be just as pleased to see you. What a man does is nothing. How
could it make any difference?"

"It couldn't--to you," said Green.

"Or to you?" said Juliet.

He laughed a little, his black brows working comically. "Madame, if I met
you hawking stale fish for cat's meat in the public street, I couldn't
venerate you more or adore you less. Whatever you do--is right."

"Good heavens!" said Juliet, and flushed in spite of herself. "What a
magnificent compliment! It's a pity you are not wearing a slouch hat with
an ostrich plume! You really need a plume to express that sort of
sentiment properly."

"Yes, I know," said Green. "But--I imagine you are not attracted by
plumes. In fact, you have just told me so. Proof positive of your
royalty! It is only crowned heads that can afford to despise them
nowadays."

"Mine isn't a crowned head," protested Juliet.

He looked at her searchingly. "Have you never been to Court?"

She snapped her fingers airily. "Of course! Dozens of times! Poor
companions always go to Court. How often do you go!"

"As often as you admit me to your most gracious presence," he said.

She clapped her hands softly. "Why, that is even prettier than the stale
fish one! Mr. Green, what can have happened to you?"

"I daren't tell you," he said.

A sudden silence fell upon the words. Juliet puffed the smoke from her
cigarette, and watched it rise. "Well, don't spoil it, will you?" she
said, as it vanished into air.

Gr