"She is to be envied," softly.
And I grew puzzled.
"Jack, for a man who has associated with the first diplomatists of the
world, who has learned to read the world as another might read a book,
you are surprisingly unadept in the art of dissimulation."
"That is a very long sentence," said I, in order to gain time enough to
fathom what she meant. I could not. So I said: "What do you mean?"
"Your whole face was saying to the Princess, 'I love you!' A glance
told me all. I was glad for your sake that no other woman saw you at
that moment. But I suppose it would not have mattered to you."
"Not if all the world had seen the look," moodily.
"Poor Jack, you are very unlucky!" Her voice was full of pity. "I
feel so sorry for you, it is all so impossible. And she loves you,
too!"
"How do you know?"
"I looked at her while she was looking at you."
"You have wonderful eyes."
"So I have been told. I wonder why she gave you that withered and
worm-eaten rose?"
"A whim," I said, staring at the rug. I wondered how she came to
surmise that it was Gretchen's rose? Intuition, perhaps.
Pages:
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264