"
"I am dazzled, nevertheless," he retorted.
"Fiddlesticks!" she said. "This is a cave, not a drawing-room."
"In other words, I am a lout and not a courtier," he smiled. "Well, a
lout may look at a princess. We have no court etiquette in the hills, I
am sorry to say."
"That was very unkind, even though you said it most becomingly," she
protested. "You have called this pail a throne. Let us also imagine that
you are a courtier."
"You punish me most gently, your highness. I shall not forget my manners
again, believe me." He seemed thoroughly subdued.
"Then I shall expect you to remove that horrid black thing. It is
positively villainous. You look much better without it."
"Is it an edict or a compliment?" he asked with such deep gravity that
she flushed.
"It is neither," she answered. "You don't have to take it off unless you
want to--"
"In either event, it is off. You were right. It serves as a partial
disguise. I have many enemies and the black patch is a very good
friend."
"How perfectly lovely," cried Beverly. "Tell me all about it. I adore
stories about feuds and all that."
"Your husband is an American. He should be able to keep you well
entertained with blood-and-thunder stories," said he.
"My hus--What do you--Oh, yes!" gasped Beverly. "To be sure. I didn't
hear you, I guess. That was rather a severe clap of thunder, wasn't it?"
"Is that also a command?"
"What do you mean?"
"There was no thunderclap, you know.
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