"But," said Lillie excitedly, breaking in for the first time, "what is the way you want them to come?"
The Princess laughed a silvery laugh.
"No way. Don't you understand? It was a roundabout way of saying I was tired of them."
"Oh!" said Lillie.
"You see, I got the idea from a fairy-tale," said the Princess. "There, the doer evaded the conditions by being dragged at a horse's tail—I have guarded against this, so that now the thing is impossible." Again her mischievous laughter rang out through the misanthropic room.
Lillie smiled, too. She felt certain Lord Silverdale would find no flaw in the Princess's armor, and she was exultant at so auspicious an accession. For the sake of formality, however, she told her that she would communicate her election by letter.
The next day a telegram came to the Club.
"Compelled to withdraw candidature. Feat accomplished. Princess, Hotel Metropole, Brighton."
Equally aghast and excited, Lillie wired back, "How?" and prepaid the reply.
"Lover happened to be here. Came up in lift as I was waiting to go down."