_The Black Cat and the Brethren_! Who was glad to see the prince, if it was not Lady Rosalind?
The white roses of her cheeks turned to red roses in a moment, and then back to white again, they were so alarmed at the change.

So the two went into the gardens together, and talked about a number of things; but at last the prince told her that, before three days were over, all would be well, or all would be over with him.

For either he would have brought his brothers back, sound and well, to Falkenstein, or he would not survive his dishonour.
"It is no more than right," he said; "for had I gone first, neither of them would have been sent to meet the monster after I had fallen.

And I _should_ have fallen, dear Rosalind, if I had faced the Firedrake before I knew _you_." Then when she asked him why, and what good she had done him, he told her all the story; and how, before he fell in love with her, he didn't believe in fairies, or Firedrakes, or caps of darkness, or anything nice and impossible, but only in horrid useless facts, and chemistry, and geology, and arithmetic, and mathematics, and even political economy.

And the Firedrake would have made a mouthful of him, then.
So she was delighted when she heard this, almost as much delighted as she was afraid that he might fail in the most difficult adventure.