"The da--miserable cur was annoying the Princess," muttered Chase, straightening his cuffs, vaguely realising that he had interfered too hastily. "Confound it, man, he's the chap she's going to marry." "Marry?" gasped Chase. "The hereditary prince of Brabetz--Karl Brabetz." "Good Lord!" "You must have known." "How the dev--Of course I didn't know," groaned Chase. "But hang it all, man, he was annoying her. She was flouting him for it. She said she despised him. I don't understand----" The Princess came forward into the light of the path. There was a quaint little wrinkle of mirth about her lips, which trembled nevertheless, but her eyes were full of solicitude. "I'm sorry, sir," she began nervously. "You have made a serious mistake. But," she added frankly, holding out her hand to him, "you meant to defend me. I thank you." Chase bowed low over her hand, too bewildered to speak. Baggs was pulling at his mustache and looking nervously in the direction which the Prince had taken. "He'll be back here with the guard," he muttered. "He will go to my father," said Genevra, her voice trembling. "He will be very angry. I am sorry, indeed, that you should have witnessed our--our scene. Of course, you could not have known who he was----" "I thought he was a--but in any event, your highness, he was annoying you," supplemented Chase eagerly. "You _will_ forgive me if I've caused you even greater, graver annoyance. What can I do to set the matter right? I can explain my error to the Duke. He'll understand--" "Alas, he will not understand. He does not even understand me," she said meaningly. "Oh, I'm so sorry. It may--it will mean trouble for you." There was a catch in her voice. "I'll fight him," murmured Chase, wiping his brow. "Deuce take it, man, he won't fight you," said Baggs. "He's a prince, you know. He can't, you know. It's a beastly mess." "Perhaps--perhaps you'd better go at once," said the Princess, rather pathetically. "My father will not overlook the indignity to--to my--to his future son-in-law. I am afraid he may take extreme measures. Believe me, I understand why you did it and I--again I thank you. I am not angry with you, yet you will understand that I cannot condone your kind fault." "Forgive me," muttered the hapless Chase. "It would not be proper in me to say that I could bless you for what you have done," she said, so naïvely that he lifted his eyes to hers and let his heart escape heavenward. "The whole world will call me a bungling, stupid ass for not knowing who he was," said Chase, with a wretched smile. Her face brightened after a moment, and an entrancing smile broke around her lips. "If I were you, I'd never confess that I did not know who he was," she said. "Let the world think that you _did_ know. It will not laugh, then. If you can trust your friend to keep the secret, I am sure you can trust me to do the same." Again Chase was speechless--this time with joy. She would shield him from ridicule!