Mrs. Sandford observed him curiously, even sadly. Why couldn't his fancy have been charmed by an every-day, sensible girl, and not by this whimsical, extraordinary woman who fooled diplomats, flaunted dukes, and kept a king at arm's length as a pastime? And yet—!
"Capricciosa," he mused aloud. "That is not her name."
"And I shall not tell it you."
"But her given name? Just a straw; something to hold on; I'm a drowning man." Hillard's pleadings would have melted a heart of stone.
"It is Hilda."
"That is German."
"She prefers it to Sonia."
"Sonia Hilda; it begins well. May I keep this letter?"
"Certainly not. With that cara mia? Give it to me."
He did so. "Shall I seek her?"