Some one had entered the church.
At first he could hear only footsteps, but presently three men came round the pillars.
The Prince picked up his gloves, his hat, and the rose, and descended from the pew, closing it after him.
As he stepped into the aisle he came face to face with the newcomers.
The recognition was instantaneous; he knew them for the three who had stepped out upon him from the mist at Scheveningen. They fell back respectfully, in silence.
William, not pleased at the meeting, passed on, but when he reached the covered entrance he found that they had followed him with the obvious intent of speaking.
The Prince at once turned, and, putting on his hat, faced them.
The foremost was a very young man, fair and eager, fashionably dressed; the other two older, and, it seemed, of a meaner station.
“You know me?” asked William.