At any rate, first with her finger she counted the air-holes in the knight’s helmet which he held up to her. Then with his finger he counted the pearls upon her neck. When he had finished she clapped her hands as though she had won a bet. After this they began to whisper to each other, at least he whispered and she smiled and shook her head. Finally, she seemed to give way, for she unfastened the flower which she wore in the breast of her dress, and presented it to him. Godfrey started at the sight which caused him to take his fingers from his ears and clutch the bush. A dry twig broke with a loud crack. “What’s that?” said Isobel. “Don’t know,” answered Lord Charles. “What a funny girl you are, always seeing and hearing things. A stray cat, I expect; London squares are full of them. Now I have won my lady’s favour and she must fasten it to my helm after the ancient fashion.” “Can’t,” said Isobel. “There are no pins in Plantagenet dresses.” “Then I must do it for myself. Kiss it first, that was the rule, you know.” “Very well,” said Isobel. “We must keep up the game, and there are worse things to kiss than roses.” He held the flower to her and she bent forward to touch it with her lips. Suddenly he did the same, and their lips came very close together on either side of the rose. This was too much for Godfrey. He glided forward, as the stray cat might have done, of which the fine knight had spoken, meaning to interrupt them. Then he remembered suddenly that he had no right to interfere; that it was no affair of his with whom Isobel chose to kiss roses in a garden, and that he was doing a mean thing in spying upon her. So he halted behind another bush, but not without noise. His handsome young face was thrust forward, and on it were written grief, surprise and shame. The moonlight caught it, but nothing else of him. Isobel looked up and saw. He knew that she had seen and turning, slipped away into the darkness back to the gate. As he went he heard the knight called Lord Charles, exclaim: “What’s the matter with you?” and Isobel answer, “Nothing. I have seen a ghost, that’s all. It’s this horrible dress!” He glanced back and saw her rise, snatch the rose from the knight’s hand, throw it down and stamp upon it. Then he saw and heard no more for he was through the gate and running down the square. At its end, as he turned into some street, he was surprised to hear a gruff voice calling to him to stop. On looking up he saw that it came from his enemy, the hansom-cab man, who was apparently keeping a lookout on the square from his lofty perch. “Hi! young sir,” he said, “I’ve been watching for you and thinking of wot you said to me. You gave me half a quid, you did. Jump in and I’ll drive you wherever you want to go, for my fare was only a bob.” “I have no more money,” replied Godfrey, “for you kept the change.” “I wasn’t asking for none,” said the cabby. “Hop in and name where it is to be.”