r conversation. This secret espionage had been going on for days
in the chateau; scarcely a move was made or a word spoken by the white
people that escaped the attention of a swarthy spy. And, curiously
enough, these spies were no longer reporting their discoveries to
Hollingsworth Chase.

The days passed. Hollingsworth Chase now realised that he no longer had
authority over the natives; they suffered him to come and go, but gave
no heed to his suggestions. Rasula made the reports for the islanders
and took charge of the statements from the bank.

Every morning he rode boldly into the town, transacted what business he
could, talked with the thoroughly disturbed bankers, and then defiantly
made his way to the chateau. He was in love with the Princess--
desperately in love. He understood perfectly--for he was a man of
the world and cosmopolitan--that nothing could come of it. She was a
princess and she was not in a story book; she _could_ not marry him. It
was out of the question; of that he was thoroughly convinced, even in
the beginning.

So far as Genevra was concerned, on her part it could mean no more than
a diversion, a condescension to coquetry, a simple flirtation; it meant
the passing of a few days, the killing of time, the pleasure of gentle
conquest, and then--forgetfulness. All this he knew and reckoned with,
for she was a princess and he but a plebeian passing by.

At first she revolted against the court he so plainly paid to her in
these last few days; it was bold, conscienceless, impertinent. She
avoided him; she treated him to a short season of disdain; she did all
in her power to rebuke his effrontery--and then in the end she
surrendered to the overpowering vanity which confronts all women who put
the pride of caste against the pride of conquest.

She decided to give him as good as he sent in this brief battle of
folly; it mattered little who came off with the fewest scars, for in a
fortnight or two they would go their separate ways, no better, no worse
for the conflict. And, after all, it was very dull in these last days,
and he was very attractive, and very brave, and very gallant, and, above
all, very sensible. It required three days of womanly indecision to
bring her to this way of looking at the situation.

They rode together in the park every morning, keeping well out of range
of marksmen in the hills. A sense of freedom replaced the natural
reserve that had marked their first encounters in th