e, to the manful a might more than man's.

If he had not been so preoccupied, he would certainly have heard the
raucous shouts of newsboys running frantically along the boulevards.
That is to say, he heard, but did not heed, else some shadow of a
strange destiny must have dimmed his bright dreams.

Their nature might be guessed from his words to Joan. The question he
addressed to the concierge proved that his intent was fixed.

"Is Monseigneur at home?" he asked.

"_Oui, m'sieur._ His Excellency has mounted a little half-hour ago,"
said the man.

Alec nodded. "Now for it!" he said to himself.

His father, a born fop, a boulevardier by adoption, cultivated habits
that seemed to follow the mechanical laws of those clockwork manikins
that ingenious horologists contrive for the amusement of children, big
and little. Whether eating, sleeping, driving, strolling, chatting or
card playing, the whereabouts and occupation of Prince Michael Delgrado
could be correctly diagnosed at any given hour of the day and night.
Fortune delights at times in tormenting such men with great
opportunities. Prince Michael, standing now with his back to the
fireplace in his wife's boudoir, was fated to be an early recipient of
that boon for which so many sigh in vain.

Of course he knew nothing of that. His round, plump, rosy face, at first
sight absurdly disproportionate to his dapper and effeminate body, wore
a frown of annoyance. In fact, he had been obliged to think, and the
effort invariably distressed him. Apparently he had a big head, and big
headed men of diminutive frame usually possess brains and enjoy using
them. But closer inspection revealed that his Highness' skull resembled
an egg, with the narrow end uppermost.

Thus, according to Lavater, he was richly endowed with all the baser
qualities that pander to self, and markedly deficient in the higher
attributes of humanity. The traits of the gourmand, the cynic, the
egoist, were there; but the physiognomist would look in vain for any
sign of genius or true nobility. Recognition of his undoubted rank had,
of course, given him the grand manner. That was unavoidable, and it was
his chief asset. He liked to be addressed as "Monseigneur"; he had a
certain reputation for wit; he carried himself with the ease that marks
his caste; and he had shown excellent taste in choosing a wife.

The Princess did indeed look the great lady. Her undoubted beauty, aided
by a touch of Western piqua