"Not even from—from—"
He stopped, at a loss for a word which would express his meaning without absurdity.
"No, not even from Royal Highnesses," she added, interpreting his thought. "Besides, you know, in America we haven't any."
The Prince walked on in silence for a moment, his brow knit in meditation.
"Your last sentence explains it," he said, at last. "You have in America no class whose prerogative it is to bestow gifts, and, in consequence, you do not accept them as a matter of course. With us a gift is a conventional thing, like shaking hands."
"I wasn't trying to explain it," said Susie, with a little sigh of despair, "or to defend it—but let it go." Then, with a flash of mischief,—"Are you frequently called upon?"
"There are occasions almost every day which demand them of us," answered the Prince, soberly, missing the glance.
"Poor man! And the affair of yesterday was one of them? Forgive me if I am rude; but it is all so new and interesting!"
"It seemed only right," explained the Prince, "that I should compensate you in some way for the annoyance I had caused you."
The words were said so candidly and simply that the ironical smile faded from Susie's lips and she was silent for a moment.