ap to her liking. But would a girl like
Kitty see it from his point of view? The marriage could take place an
hour or two before he went aboard his ship. Hang it, Hawksley wasn't
so far off. Kitty couldn't possibly be offended if he laid the business
squarely on the table. To provide for Molly's girl!

When Kuroki announced that breakfast was ready, Cutty went into the
living room for Kitty, whom he had not yet seen. He found her by a
window fascinated by the splendour of the panorama as seen in the
morning light. Not a vestige of the tears and disorder in which he had
left her. What had been behind those tears? Dainty and refreshing; to
the eye as though she had stepped out of a bandbox. Compromised?
That was utter rot! Wasn't Miss Frances here? Clitter-clatter,
clitter-clatter. But Cutty was not aware that it was no longer in his
head but in his heart.

"Breakfast is served, Your Highness," he announced with a grave salaam.

Kitty pirouetted. For some reason she could not explain to herself
she wanted to laugh, sing, dance. Perhaps it was because she was only
twenty-four. Or it might have had its origin in the tonicky awakening
among all these beautiful furnishings.

She assumed a haughty expression--such as the Duchess of
Gerolstein assumes when she appoints the private to the office of
generalissimo--and with a careless wave of the hand said: "Summon His
Highness!"

CHAPTER XXIV

Between Cutty's heart and his throat there was very little space at that
moment for the propelment of sound. Kitty Conover had innocently--he
understood that almost immediately and recovered his mental
balance--Kitty had innocently thrown a bomb at his feet. It did not
matter that it was a dud. The result was the same. For a second, then,
all the terror, all the astounding suspension of thought and action
attending the arrival of a shell on the battlefield were his. As
an aftermath he would have liked very much to sit down. Instead,
maintaining the mock gravity of his expression, he offered his arm,
which Kitty accepted, still the Grand Duchess of Gerolstein. Pompously
they marched into the dining room. But as Kitty saw Hawksley she dropped
the air confusedly, and hesitated. "Good gracious!" she whispered.

"What's the matter?" Cutty whispered in turn.

"My clothes!"

"What's the matter with 'em?"

"I slept in them!"

If that wasn't like a woman! It did not matter how she might look to
an old codger, aetat. fifty-two; h