"
"So you followed us here," Lucille remarked quietly.
"Exactly! You do not blame me. It was for your sake--as well as
my own."
"And Muriel--why has she left me without farewell--without warning
of any sort?"
The Prince smiled and stroked his fair moustache.
"Well," he said, "it is rather an awkward thing for me to explain,
but to tell you the truth, Muriel was a little--more than a little
--annoyed at my coming. She has no right to be, but--well, you
know, she is what you call a monopolist. She and I have been
friends for many years."
"I understand perfectly what you have wished to convey," Lucille
said. "But what I do not understand are the exact reasons which
brought you here."
The Prince took up the carte de jour.
"As we dine," he said, "I will tell you. You will permit me to
order?"
Lucille rose to her feet.
"For yourself, certainly," she answered. "As for me, I have
accepted no invitation to dine with you, nor do I propose to do so."
The Prince frowned.
"Be reasonable, Lucille," he pleaded. "I must talk with you. There
are important plans to be made. I have a great deal to say to you.
Sit down."
Lucille looked across at him with a curious smile upon her lips.
"You have a good deal to say to me?" she remarked. "Yes, I will
believe that. But of the truth how much, I wonder?"
"By and bye," he said, "you will judge me differently.
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