The Princess helped herself to a salted almond and took her first sip of champagne.

The almonds were crisp and the champagne dry.

She was wearing a new and most successful dinner-gown of black velvet, and she was quite sure that in the subdued light no one could tell that the pearls in the collar around her neck were imitation.

Her afternoon's indisposition was quite forgotten.

She nodded at her host approvingly.
"Cecil," she said, "it is really very good of you to take in my two friends like this.