The Duchess stared at me in surprise.
"Can it be possible that you know each other?" she cried. "I had quite made up my mind that you had not met, and I was hoping to do you both a charitable action."
Turning to the girl before me, I said, "You are the Princess Ottilie, are you not?"
"Yes," she answered; "and if I am not mistaken you are Prince Paul of Pannonia. Do you remember that dreadful day when the horses ran away and nearly killed me at the palace gates?"
"Is it likely I shall ever forget it?" I returned. "The whole scene rises before my eyes at this moment. What an age has elapsed since then!"
The Duchess and Lord Newmarket, who were kindly souls, strolled away, leaving us together. I looked again at the girl; really she was remarkably beautiful. There could be no sort of doubt about that. I had never seen anyone in my life half so fair.
"Can we not discover a couple of chairs, and try to recall some other impressions?" I inquired.
"It would be very pleasant," she replied; and we accordingly strolled away together.
"If I may be allowed to say so, you have altered a great deal since I last saw you," I began, when we had found our chairs and had seated ourselves upon them.
"And perhaps I might return the compliment," she continued. "How strange it seems that we should meet here, does it not?"