Page:Neuroomia.djvu/173

Rh "No," I observed. "But when young ladies are in love, do they not sometimes have rivals?"

"Yes, and young men too," was the ready retort.

And the men always manage to settle their differences in an amicable manner," I remarked.

"We shall take the case of a man," she said, "who is sufficiently fortunate or unfortunate to have rivals. Then the problem as to whom she will choose is for the young lady to solve, and when she has made her choice, there is an end of the matter, but in most cases the rivals themselves can, with little difficulty, see who is the favourite, and the unfortunate ones, or otherwise, as the case may be, are sufficiently thoughtful not to seek the company of the young lady any longer."

On arriving at the palace, she inquired if I loved music. I answered in the affirmative, and then she suggested that we should go to the music room. On entering it, I was so impressed with the gorgeous style of decoration that I expressed my surprise to Alvarez.

She said that this was considered, and was from the first intended to be, the finest room in the palace.

There appeared to be an endless variety of