I cannot tell you any more." "I did not mean to probe into your secrets, darling," the Princess exclaimed hastily.

"I promised you I never would when you came to me that November in Rome--we were both miserable enough, goodness knows! We made the bargain that there should be no retrospects.

And your angelic goodness to me all that time when my little Girolamo was born, have made me your eternal debtor.

Why, but for you, darling, he might have been snatched from me by the hateful Torniloni family!" "The sweet cherub!" Then their conversation turned to this absorbing topic, the perfections of Girolamo! and as it is hardly one which could interest you or me, my friend, let us go back to the smoking-room and listen to a conversation going on between Cranley Beaton and Lord Fordyce.

The latter, with great skill, had begun to elicit certain information he desired from this society register! "Yes, indeed," Mr.Beaton was saying.