Lady Helen laughed softly. "You men always do that," she said.
"Oh!" said I.
"You look only after it's all over."
"Oh!" said I, again.
"At least, so I have observed," she admitted, frankly.
"You mean such has been your experience?"
"Well," said she, with a mischievous gleam in her grey eyes, "wasn't it
so just now?"
I got up and looked carefully around. No one was very near and we were
in the shadow. I leaned over and quickly kissed her on the cheek.
"It wasn't so that time," I said.
She sat perfectly quiet for a bit.
"Let us hope," she said, at length; "let us hope that your eyes were
trustworthy. Otherwise----"
"Yes?" I questioned.
"Otherwise our engagement must be announced or----"
"Yes?"
"You must give me the chance to cut you publicly, after which you must
leave Dornlitz."
Here was a mess, sure enough. Yet, I was in for it--as most fools
usually are.
"Which shall it be?" I said gayly.
She leaned close and looked me in the eyes. And beside her winsome
face I saw, in my mind's eye, the Princess's, too--but only for an
instant. Then I took her hand again. She smiled sweetly, almost as
sweetly as Dehra herself could do.
"Let us wait until we know if we were seen," she said.