Miss Spoelmann turned quickly round in her basket chair, shook her hair back and gazed without speaking at the intruder with big, startled eyes, until Klaus Heinrich had bid the ladies good-morning with a military salute. Then she said in her broken voice: “Good-morning to you too, Prince. But you are too late for breakfast. We've finished long ago.”
Klaus Heinrich laughed.
“Well, it's lucky,” he said, “that both parties have had breakfast, for now we can start at once for a ride.”
“A ride?”
“Yes, as we agreed.”
“We agreed?”
“No, don't say that you've forgotten!” he said pleadingly. “Didn't I promise to show you the country round? Weren't we going for a ride together when it was fine? Well, to-day it's glorious. Just look out …”
“It's not a bad day,” she said, “but you go too fast, Prince. I remember that there was some suggestion of a ride at some future time—but surely not so soon as this? Might I not at least have expected some sort of notification, if your Highness will allow the word? You must allow that I can't ride like this about here.”
And she stood up to show her morning dress, which consisted of a loose gown of many-coloured silk and an open green-velvet jacket.
“No,” he said, “unfortunately you cannot. But I'll wait here while you both change. It's quite early….”