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184 «WILD MARGARET.
came to the villa, and the princess, instead of growing
tired of her, as one would be tempted to prophesy,
-seemed to grow more attached 4nd devoted as the days
rolled into weeks, and the weeks threatened to glide into
months, = ~~ .
If it had not been for the experience of the grandeur of
-Leyton Court, Margaret might have been rather over-
whelmed by the splendor of Capri Villa, for the Rivanis
were great people, of the best blood in Italy, and livedsin
a state befitting their rank.
The villa was not so large as the Court—that Court which
Blair had often told her she would one day be mistress of
—but it was exquisitely situated, and the interior was re-
plete with the refined splendor of a palace.
The suit of rooms allotted to Margaret were large and
grand enough for a duchess, but when she murmured some-
thing in deprecation of such sumptuous apartments, the
princess had opened her blue eyes wide and smiled with |
surprise.
‘**Oh, but I want you to be comfortable, dear.’’ she said.
‘*T want you to feel at home—that is the English phrase,
isn't it?”
‘Yes, but ‘at home’ all my rooms would have gone into .
the smallest you have given me,’’ Margaret had said,
smiling. |
‘Really! Well, at any rate you need large rooms, for
are you not an artist, and do you not wanta studio? Fer-
. dinand has given orders that the large room with the big
window is to be fitted up as a painting-room for you; and
he promised to choose some pictures and some curios, and
all those kind of things you artists love, to furnish it. He
has gone to Rome, you know.”?
Margaret looked rather grave. A prince is a prince to
us Knglish people, and it rather alarmed her that she
. Should be the cause of so much trouble to his highness.
The princess laughed at her serious countenance.
‘Do uot look so grave,” she said. ‘It was Ferdy’s own
idea. He chose the rooms, and said how nice the big one
would do fora studio, You can’t think how thoughtful
he is-—when he chooses to think at all.”?
‘ His highness is very good,” said Margaret, ‘but Iam
ashamed to give him so much trouble.”
The princess laughed again.
‘‘Ferdy loves trouble. His great grief is that he has
nothing to do, for you see there is nothing to'‘employ ‘him
here. The steward looks after the land. and the major
domo does all the business in the villa, and there is noth-
ing for poor Ferdy to do when he is away from the court.
J want you to like my brother, Miss Leslie,’ she added.
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