Page:The Princess Casamassima (London and New York, Macmillan & Co., 1886), Volume 2.djvu/261

 him when he had come back; and indeed it was not long before Rose Muniment took that business upon herself. Hyacinth, however, ventured to assure himself whether Madame Grandoni were still with the Princess, and even to remark (when she had replied, 'Oh yes, still, still. The great refusal, as Dante calls it, has not yet come off'), 'You ought to bring her to see Miss Rosy. She is a person Miss Rosy would particularly appreciate.'

'I am sure I should be most happy to receive any friend of the Princess Casamassima,' said this young lady, from the sofa; and when the Princess answered that she certainly would not fail to produce Madame Grandoni some day, Hyacinth (though he doubted whether the presentation would really take place) guessed how much she wished her old friend might have heard the strange bedizened little invalid make that speech.

There were only three other seats, for the introduction of the sofa (a question so profoundly studied in advance), had rendered necessary the elimination of certain articles; so that Muniment, on his feet, hovered round the little circle, with his hands in his pockets, laughing freely and sociably but not looking at the Princess; though, as Hyacinth was sure, he was none the less agitated by her presence.

'You ought to tell us about foreign parts and the grand things you have seen; except that, doubtless, our distinguished visitor knows all about them,' Muniment said to Hyacinth. Then he added, 'Surely, at any rate, you have seen nothing more worthy of your respect than Camberwell.'

'Is this the worst part?' the Princess asked, looking up with her noble, interested face.