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WILD MARGARET, 191
‘No, not I, but you!’ he said, gently, with a little
thrill in his voice that, touched Margaret, and made the
princess ‘turn and look at him.
Take it, then,’ said Margaret.
He took it from the easel, and locked it in the. cabinet
carefully,
‘And you will come down? You must!” urged Flor-
_ ence eagerly. ‘‘ You must hear what they say. I know
what it will be: they will say what Ferdinand said!”
‘‘ Very well,”’ said Margaret, with a little sigh.
The princess clapped her hands.
~ Oh, Iam so glad. I willcome for you in half an hour.
Will that do?” . _
“* Miss Leslie will understand that she will meet friends,”
said the prince, laying a delicate stress on the word,
though she has not seen them yet.”
And with this courtly, kindly word of encouragement,
he carried off the picture. .
Margaret changed her plain black dress for one of black
lace, which, simple as it was, and without ornament, lent
to her graceful figure a distinguished air which even
Worth himself sometimes cannot bestow, and before the
half hour was up the princess came for her. «|
‘Dressed. already, dear! Oh, and how well you look!
May I kiss you? Ah! after all, it is only the English who
really know how to dress. Why, yours is the prettiest
costume in the house——”’ .
‘Tt is the simplest, dear, I am sure,’’ said Margaret.
The princess led her to her mother, and the old lady
made room for her on the settee. . Loy a
‘‘Tam glad you have come, my dear Miss Leslie,” she
said in her slow, gentle voice; ‘‘ we should all have been
SO sorry if you had not.” . ;
Margaret said nothing, but presently gained courage to
ook round, . .
Some lady was at the piano playing, and there were a
few persons round her; but the rest of the party was gath-
ered together round some object at the end of the room,
about which candles and lamps had been arranged, and
she knew it was her picture. oe,
Presently, she saw the prince approaching, with an old
gentleman at his side, an old man with long silvery
lair and pale face, from which the dark eyes shone with
a strange brilliance that was yet soft and dreamy.
‘* Miss Leslie,’’ said the prince, ‘‘let me introduce Signor
Alfero to you.” a .
It was the great artist whose works Margaret had stood
efore with admiration and awe.
She inclined her head without a word, The great