my brother is a good deal older than
I."

"Well, I can't get into Parliament right away," said Paul. "For one
thing, I couldn't afford it."

"We must find you a nice girl with plenty of money," she said, half in
jest.

"Oh, please don't. I should detest the sight of her. By the way, shall
you want me on Saturday evening?"

"No--unless it would be to take Miss Durning in to dinner."

Now Miss Durning being an elderly, ugly heiress, it pleased Miss
Winwood to be quizzical. He looked at her in mock reproof. "Dearest
lady that you are, I don't feel safe in your hands just now. I shall
dine with the Princess on Saturday."

An enigmatic smile flitted across Ursula Winwood's clear eyes. "What
does she want you for?"

"To entertain an Egyptologist," assured Paul. He waved his hand toward
the letter on the table. "There it is in black and white."

"I suppose for the next few days you'll be cramming hard."

"It would be the polite thing to do, wouldn't it?" said Paul blandly.

Miss Winwood shook her head and went away, and Paul happily resumed his
work. In very truth she was to him the dearest of ladies.

The Princess Zobraska was standing alone by the fireplace at the end of
the long drawing-room when Paul was announced on Saturday evening. She
was a distinguished-looking woman in the late twenties brown-haired,
fresh-complexioned, strongly and at the same time delicately featured.
Her dark blue eyes, veiled by lashes, smiled on him lazily as he
approached; and lazily, too, her left arm stretched out, the palm of
the hand downward, and she did not move. He kissed her knuckles, in
orthodox fashion.

"It is very good of you to come, Mr. Savelli," she said in a sweetly
foreign accent, "and leave your interesting company at Drane's Court."

"Any company without you, Princess, is chaos," said Paul.

"Grand flatteur, va,--' said she.

"C'est que vous Res irresistible, Princesse, surlout dans ce
costume-la."

She touched his arm with an ostrich feather fan. "When it comes to
massacring languages, Mr. Savelli, let me be the assassin."

"I laid the tribute of my heart at your feet in the most irreproachable
grammar," said Paul.

"But with the accent of John Bull. That's the only thing of John Bull
you have about you. For the sake of my ears I must give you some
lessons."

"You'll find me such a pupil as never teacher had in the world before.
When shall we begin?"

"Aux Kalendes Grecques."

"Ah que vous etes f