Edgar Jepson

“ I'm quite sure that John Stuart has not only bored her stiff, but he has wounded all her sensibilities. I don't believe he has shown that he admired her by as much as a single look.”
“Well, I always took it that it would be rather uphill work overcoming that aversion,” said the prince calmly. “It was just a painful necessity.”
“But there's one thing—you must never let her dream that you landed her with John Stuart. It wouldn't only hurt her, but she's proud—really proud, not arrogant like a Lippe-Schweidnitz. I don't believe she'd ever forgive you. I don't, really. ”

“ The Princess Anne told the countess quickly that they were going to a revue that night, and explained somewhat incoherently the nature of an English revue. As she did so, she kept turning to look at John Stuart with undiminished amazement.
The Princess Frieda entered in her tennis frock, racket in hand, her eyes shining brightly. The Princess Anne took her arm, and led her quickly out of the room.
A quarter of an hour later, the empurpled Sir Horace almost burst into the smoking room of the prince. ”

“ Then the footman announced them, and as he greeted her and the Countess Fersen, the prince saw the light of animation die out of the Princess Frieda's face, and the hand she gave him might have been made of wood.
On the instant he was on his mettle. It was plain, indeed, that, through the services of John Stuart, he had secured her aversion, and it gave him no pleasure whatever. While Sir Horace rattled on in a tactful and agreeable fashion about the weather and the revue, the prince surveyed her with melancholy eyes. Undoubtedly her photograph had done her no justice at all ”

“ At Hammersmith Broadway, Sir Horace stopped the car, bade John Stuart never to leave his brother's house for longer than an hour at a time, in case the prince should suddenly need him, and stepped out onto the pavement. Then he bethought him to assure John Stuart that he would find his brother quite as sympathetic a listener as Sir Horace himself to sagacious views on the greatest crisis in the history of England. ”

“ John Stuart's face brightened a little at the information, and he said that he was very glad to hear it. Sir Horace bade his chauffeur drive home, and himself hailed a taxicab and drove to the house in Half Moon Street.
The prince set out for the palace, wearing a melancholy air, but he was conscious of an excited expectancy that he had not felt for several months at the prospect of meeting a lady. The Princess Anne had awakened in him an uncommon interest in the Princess Frieda. ”

“ But in that case, I shouldn't do it,” said Sir Horace.
“Some disgraceful intrigue!” the countess snapped.
“I'll be shot if it was!” cried Sir Horace in the plain accents of the truth. “The prince isn't that kind of man at all!”
The countess' face cleared a little.
“But why did you do it?” she asked.
“We didn't,” said Sir Horace firmly; then he added in a careless tone, addressing apparently a small clump of rhododendrons on their left: “His highness is a man of strange ideas. He believes what some poet or other—he's always reading poetry ”

“ Then she added in a somewhat perfunctory tone: “I suppose the countess will find us.”
“Oh, yes; in time,” the prince agreed carelessly. “In fact, I feel sure that Sir Horace will bring her here—if he knows the way.”
“At home it would be quite irregular that we should be alone together. My sister Hilda and Friedrich were never once alone together till they were actually married,” said the princess, in the tone of one wholly unruffled by the irregularity. ”

“ He found the dimples, which were an integral part of the smile, uncommonly attractive.
“It's so much nicer for me.”
“Why?” asked the princess.
“You have only the beauties of nature to enjoy.”
She smiled again, looked at his face with grave consideration, and said:
“I don't know why you should be discontented with your—ancestral mug. He was so much more interesting than most kings.”
“He was certainly a hard walker and a hard worker,” said the prince. “But, oh, his character!”
They smoked for a little while in silence. The prince looked at her all the while ”

“ She began a yawn in the most unaffected fashion, and awoke in time to smother, by a somewhat violent effort; the rest of it.
The Princess Anne entered briskly in a white tennis frock and shoes, racket in hand, crossed the room quickly, kissed the princess, and said:
“I thought you'd be dressed for tennis already. ”