"It is rendered unnecessary. Prince Shan has decided after all to adhere to his original plan and come to Europe."
"You are sure?"
"I have an official intimation," he replied. "I may probably have to go to Paris, but no farther. It is even possible that I might leave to-night."
She was genuinely interested.
"There is no one in the whole world," she declared, "whom I have wanted to meet so much as Prince Shan."
"You will not be disappointed," he promised her. "There is no one like him. When he enters the room, you know that you are in the presence of a great man. The three of us together! Naida, we will remake the map of the world."
She frowned a little uneasily.
"Do not take too much for granted, Oscar," she enjoined. "Remember that I am here to watch and to report. It is not for me to make decisions."
"Then for whom else?" he demanded. "Paul Matinsky himself wrote me that you had his entire confidence—that you possessed full powers for action. You will not be faint-hearted, Naida?"
"I shall never be false to my convictions," she replied.