Page:The Princess Casamassima (London and New York, Macmillan & Co., 1886), Volume 1.djvu/212

 'Her name is Madame Grandoni.' Her tone was not familiar, but there was a friendly softness in it, as if he had really taken so much trouble for them that it was only just he should be entertained a little at their expense. It seemed to imply, also, that Madame Grandoni's fitness for supplying such entertainment was obvious.

'But I am not Italian—ah no!' the old lady cried. 'In spite of my name, I am an honest, ugly, unfortunate German. But it doesn't matter. She, also, with such a name, isn't Italian, either. It's an accident; the world is full of accidents. But she isn't German, poor lady, any more.' Madame Grandoni appeared to have entered into the Princess's view, and Hyacinth thought her exceedingly amusing. In a moment she added, 'That was a very charming person you were with.'

'Yes, she is very charming,' Hyacinth replied, not sorry to have a chance to say it.

The Princess made no remark on this subject, and Hyacinth perceived not only that from her position in the box she could have had no glimpse of Millicent, but that she would never take up such an allusion as that. It was as if she had not heard it that she asked, 'Do you consider the play very interesting?'

Hyacinth hesitated a moment, and then told the simple truth. 'I must confess that I have lost the whole of this last act.'

'Ah, poor bothered young man!' cried Madame Grandoni. 'You see—you see!'

'What do I see?' the Princess inquired. 'If you are annoyed at being here now, you will like us later; probably, at feast. We take a great interest in the things you care