"A friend of the Zerkovitches? That's good. A nice fellow, Zerkovitch—and his wife's quite charming. And your friend—?"
"I can hardly call her that, General."
"Tut, tut! You're irresistible, I know. Your friend—what did you tell her?"
"Nothing, on my honor." The young man colored and looked a trifle alarmed. But Stenovics's manner was one of friendly amusement.
"For an example of your 'nothing,'" he went on, "you told her that the King was an amiable man?"
"Oh, possibly, General."
"That the Countess was a little—just a little—too scrupulous?"
"It was nothing, surely, to say that?"
"That we all wanted the Prince to marry?"
"I made only the most general reference to that, sir."