Their eyes met, the girl’s full of a half-smiling, half-soft consideration.  Lady Tranmore, on the other hand, had flushed proudly, as though the mere mention of the matter to which she had referred had been galling to her.  Kitty, in fact, had just been guilty of an escapade which had set the town talking, and even found its way here and there in the newspapers.  The heir to a European monarchy had been recently visiting London.  A romantic interest surrounded him; for a lady, not of a rank sufficiently high to mate with his, had lately drowned herself for love of him, and the young man’s melancholy good looks, together with the magnificent apathy of his manner, drew after him a chain of gossip.  Kitty failed to meet him in society; certain invitations that for once she coveted did not arrive; and in a fit of pique she declared that she would make acquaintance with him in her own way.  On a certain occasion, when the Princeling was at the play, his attention was drawn to a small and dazzling creature in a box opposite his own.  Presently, however, there was a commotion in this box.  The dazzling creature had fainted; and rumor sent round the name of Lady Kitty Ashe.  The Prince despatched an equerry to make inquiries, and the inquiries were repeated that evening in Hill Street.  Recovery was prompt, and the Prince let it be known that he wished to meet the lady.  Invitations from high quarters descended upon Kitty; she bore herself with an engaging carelessness, and the melancholy youth was soon spending far more pains upon her than he had yet been known to spend upon any other English beauties presented to him.  Ashe and Kitty’s friends laughed; the old general in charge of the Princeling took alarm.  And presently Kitty’s audacities, alack, carried away her discretion; she began, moreover, to boast of her ruse.  Whispers crept round; and the general’s ears were open.  In a few days Kitty’s triumph went the way of all earthly things.  At a Court ball, to which her vanity had looked forward, unwarned, the Prince passed her with glassy eyes, returning the barest bow to her smiling courtesy.  She betrayed nothing; but somehow the thing got out, and set in motion a perfect hurricane of talk.  It was rumored that the old Prime Minister, Lord Parham, had himself said a caustic word to Lady Kitty, that Royalty was annoyed, and that William Ashe had for once scolded his wife seriously.

Lady Tranmore was well aware that there was, at any rate, no truth in the last report; but she also knew that there was a tone of sharpness in the London chatter that was new with regard to Kitty.  It was as though a certain indulgence was wearing out, and what had been amusement was passing into criticism.