Page:Anthony Hope - Rupert of Hentzau.djvu/184

170 spare a moment to my wife's cousin, Anton von Strofzin. He came up, holding out his hand delicately gloved in pearl-grey kid, for young Anton was a leader of the Strelsau dandies. "Ah, my dear Fritz!" said he. "I am glad I hold no appointment at Court. How dreadfully active you all are! I thought you were settled at Zenda for a month?"

"The Queen changed her mind suddenly," said I, smiling. "Ladies do, as you know well, you who know all about them."

My compliment, or insinuation, produced a pleased smile and a gallant twirling of his moustache.

"Well, I thought you'd be here soon," he said; "but I didn't know that the Queen had come."

"You didn't? Then why did you look out for me?"

He opened his eyes a little in languid elegant surprise.

"Oh, I supposed you'd be on duty, or something, and have to come. Aren't you in attendance?"

"On the Queen? No, not just now."

"But on the King?"

"Why, yes," said I, and I leant forward. "At least I'm engaged now on the King's business."

"Precisely," said he. "So I thought you'd come, as soon as I heard that the King was here."