em alone and go to the opera. But
the princess had said, "Impossible. Carpazzi, finding no one but the
family, would naturally suppose we wish to arrange a marriage between
you."

Marry Carpazzi! It was ridiculous; she never had heard of such customs!
"Well, then, why not ask Tornik?" she suggested. "He is not an Italian."
The princess demurred. It might be possible to ask Tornik--still it was
better not. Unless Nina wanted to marry Tornik? Apparently there was
little use in pursuing this subject further, so she laughed and gave it
up.

They were in the princess's room, at the time, and Nina, dressed for the
street, was pulling on new gloves of fawn-colored _suede_. Her brown
velvet and fox furs, her big hat with a fox band fastened with an
osprey, were all that the modeste's art could achieve.

The princess fastened a little yellow mink collar around her throat over
her black cloth dress, selected the better of two pairs of cleaned white
kid gloves, picked up her hard, round, little yellow muff, and then went
over and sat on the sofa beside Nina. "By the way, darling, I have
something to say to you. The Marchese Valdeste has approached your
uncle in regard to a marriage between his son Carlo and you. Not being
an Italian, I suppose you want to give your answer yourself. What do you
say?"

"What do I say!" Nina's eyes and mouth opened together. "Why, I have
never seen the man!"

The princess smiled. "The offer is made in the same way in which it
would be if you were an Italian. Your parents not being here, I ask you
in their stead--or as I might ask you if you were a widow. To begin,
then,--no, I am perfectly in earnest--I am authorized to offer you a
young man of unquestionable birth. He has in his own right three
castles. Two will need a great deal of repair, but one is in excellent
condition and contains three hundred rooms, more than half of which are
furnished. He has an annual income of twenty thousand _lire_ and
no--debts! That he is fairly good-looking, medium-sized, has black hair
and brown eyes, and is said to have a very amiable disposition, are
details."

As the princess concluded, Nina added: "And he has also a most charming
mother. My answer is--my regret that I cannot marry her instead."

"You are sure you do not care to consider this offer?"

Nina looked steadily into her aunt's eyes. "I am sure you married Uncle
Sandro through no such courtship as this!"

"I did not think you would accept, m