"I am very sorry," Cecilia answered. "Pray tell her how sorry I am."
"Thank you. But I daresay Guido brought you the same message."
"Who is Guido?" asked Cecilia, raising her eyebrows a little.
"Guido d'Este. I thought you knew. You are surprised that I should call him by his Christian name? You see, I have known him ever since he was quite a boy. To all intents and purposes, he was brought up by the Princess."
"And you are often at the house, I suppose."
"I live there," explained Monsieur Leroy. "To change the subject, my dear young lady, I have an apology to make, which I hope you will accept."
Cecilia did not like to be called any one's "dear young lady," and her manner froze instantly.
"I cannot imagine why you should apologise to me," she said coldly.
"I was rude to you the other day, about your courses of philosophy, or something of that sort. Was not that it?"
"Indeed, I had quite forgotten," Cecilia answered, with truth. "It did not matter in the least what you thought of my reading Nietzsche, I assure you."