THE PRINCESS
besides which there was nothing to make me recur to it. But I remember the man's striking me as a horrid little beast."
She gave a slow headshake—as if, no, after consideration, not that way were an issue. "I can only think of him as kind, for he had nothing to gain. He had in fact only to lose. It was what he came to tell me—that he had asked me too high a price, more than the object was really worth. There was a particular reason which he hadn't mentioned and which had made him consider and repent. He wrote for leave to see me again—wrote in such terms that I saw him here this afternoon."
"Here?"—it made the Prince look about him.
"Downstairs—in the little red room. While he was waiting he looked at the few photographs that stand about there and recognised two of them. Though it was so long ago, he remembered the visit made him by the lady and the gentleman, and that gave him his connexion. It gave me mine, for he remembered everything and told me everything. You see you too had produced your effect; only, unlike you, he had thought of it again—he had recurred to it. He told me of your having wished to make each other presents—but of that's not having come off. The lady was greatly taken with the piece I had bought of him, but you had your reason against receiving it from her, and you had been right. He'd think that of you more than ever now," Maggie went on; "he'd see how wisely you had guessed the flaw and how easily the bowl could be broken. I had bought it myself, you see, for a present—he knew I was doing that. This
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