wonderfully youthful of lady provided several ke from which to strike frivolous conversation � and when the great painter actually made a sketch of her for his own amusement and made her look about sixteen and girlish at that his popularity knew no bounds wanted to give him a commission particularly the elderly fair and he could have made a fortune had he chosen after the example set him by the english by painting the portraits of ugly who were ready to pay any price to be turned out as handsome but he was too restless and ill at ease to apply himself steadily to work � the glowing skies of egypt the picturesque groups of natives to be seen at every turn � the curious corners of old � these made no impression upon his mind at all and when he was alone he passed whole half hours staring at the strange picture he had made of the princess wherein the face of death seemed him through a mask of life and he welcomed with a strong sense of relief and expectation the long looked for evening of the princess s reception to which many of the visitors in had been invited since a fortnight and which those persons who always profess to be in the know even if they are in ignorance declared would any entertainment ever given during the season the night came at last it was exceedingly but bright and clear and the moon shone with effective on the groups of people that between nine and ten o clock began to throng the narrow street in which the carved tomb like of the princess s residence was the most conspicuous object lady remarkable for bad taste in her dress and the disposal of her diamonds stared in haughty amazement at the who saluted her and her daughters with the grin peculiar to his cast of countenance and swept into the attended by her husband with an air as though she imagined her presence gave the necessary of good style to the proceedings she was followed by lady innocently clad in white and wearing a knot of on her left shoulder lord and his sister also wore white but though she was in the and lady was in the the girl had so much sadness in her face and so much tragedy in her soft eyes that she looked if anything older than the old woman and dr dean arrived together and found themselves in a brilliant crushing crowd of people all of different and all a good deal of impatience because they were delayed a few minutes in an open court where a couple of stone lions with wings were the only spectators of their most singular behaviour said lady and ng to keep us waiting outside like this the princess has no idea of european manners as she spoke a sudden blaze of light on the scene and twenty tall egyptian servants in white with red lighted and marching two by two crossed the court and by mute yet stately gestures invited the company to follow and the company did follow in haste with scramble and as is the way of european manners nowadays and presently having been relieved of their and stood startled and confounded in a huge hall richly adorned with silk and cloth of gold where between two bronze � the princess attired wonderfully in a dim pale rose colour with of jewels flashing from her here and there waited to receive her guests like a queen she stood � behind her a giant palm and at her feet were strewn roses and lilies on either side of her seated on the ground were young girls clad and veiled to the eyes in the egyptian fashion and as the staring heated and impetuous swarm of travelling english and americans came face to face with her in her marvellous beauty they were for the moment stricken and could scarcely summon up the necessary assurance to advance and take the hand she outstretched to them in welcome she appeared not to see the general embarrassment and greeted all who approached her with courteous ease and composure speaking the few words which every graceful hostess adequate before passing on her visitors and presently music began � music wild and fantastic of a character unknown to modern fashionable ears yet strangely familiar to who started at the first sound of it and seemed that is not an ordinary said dr dean in his ear the instruments are ancient and the form of melody is answered nothing for the princess just then approached them come into the red saloon she said i am persuading my guests to pass on there i have an old relief on the walls which i would like you to see � you especially dr dean � for you are so learned in i hear you are trying to discover traces of i am replied the doctor you interested me very much in his history he was a great man said the princess slowly them as she spoke without hurry and with careful courtesy through the ranks of the now freely chattering and animated company much greater than any of your modern heroes but he had two faults faults which frequently accompany the of power � cruelty and selfishness he betrayed and murdered the only woman that ever loved him murdered her exclaimed dr dean how oh it is only a legend i and the princess smiled turning her dark eyes with a languor on who for some reason or other which he could not explain felt as if he were walking in a dream on the edge of a deep chasm of into which he must presently sink to utter destruction all these old histories happened so long ago that they are nothing but m now to the present generation time does not rob any incident of its interest to me said 