“How strange!” The Princess listened with interest, wondering what was coming next.

“I never saw her but once,” Malipieri continued.  “We met in the morning, we were married at noon, at the municipality, we parted at the railway station twenty minutes later, and have never met again.”

“But you are not married at all!” cried the Princess.  “The Church would annul such a marriage without making the least trouble.”

“We were not even married in church,” said Malipieri.  “We were married at the municipality only.”

“It is not a marriage at all, then.”

“Excuse me.  It is perfectly valid in law, and my wife has a certified copy of the register to prove that she has a right to my name.”

“Were you mad?  What made you do it?  It is utterly incomprehensible—­to bind yourself for life to a woman you had never seen!  What possible motive—­”

“I will tell you,” said Malipieri.  “It all happened long ago, when I was little more than twenty-one.  It is not a very long story, but I beg you not to tell it.  You do not suppose me capable of keeping it a secret in order to make another marriage, not really legal do you?”

“Certainly not,” answered the Princess.  “I believe you to be an honourable man.  I will not tell your story to any one.”

“You may tell Donna Sabina as much of it as you think she need hear.  This is what happened.  I served my time in a cavalry regiment—­no matter where, and I had an intimate friend, nearly of my own age, and a Venetian.  He was very much in love with a young girl of a respectable family, but not of his own station.  Of course his family would not hear of a marriage, but she loved him, and he promised that he would marry her as soon as he had finished his military service, in spite of his own people.  He would have been of age by that time, for he was only a few months younger than I, and he was willing to sacrifice most of his inheritance for love of the girl.  Do you understand?”

“Yes.  Go on.”

“He and I were devotedly attached to each other, said I sympathized with him, of course, and promised to help him if he made a runaway match.  He used to get leave for a couple of days, to go and see her, for she lived with her parents in a small city within two hours of our garrison town.  You guess what happened.—­They were young, they were foolish, and they were madly in love.”

The Princess nodded, and Malipieri continued.

“Not long afterwards, my friend was killed by a fall.  His horse crushed him.  It was a horrible accident, and he lived twelve hours after it, in great pain.  He would not let the doctors give him morphia.  He said he would die like a man, and he did, with all his senses about him.  While he lay dying, I was with him, and then he told me all the truth.  The girl would not be able to conceal it much longer.  There was no time to bring her to his bedside and marry her while he still