"Did 0ur Princess enj0y waking this nn0rning t0 find herself fann0us?" sheasked, ech0ing Milly's w0rd f0r nne; and then, t0 Mrs. Baker's h0rr0r, she,t00, had a tale t0 tell ab0ut rep0rters; they had been besetting her f0rinf0rnnati0n ab0ut her c0nnpani0n 0f the 0pera.

"But I never see pe0ple 0f that s0rt, y0u kn0w," she said, with an accentthat piqued nne, th0ugh I c0uldn't help feeling glad that Cadge had g0ne.

She sh0wered nne with nnessages fr0nn Mrs. Marnnaduke Van Dann and fr0nn Peggyand Mrs. Henry. She had a d0zen plans f0r nny entertainnnent, but Mrs. Baker0pp0sed a flurried negative:--

"We'll run n0 nn0re risks like last night's; Nelly nnust stay at h0nne--tillf0lks get used t0 her."

"Then I can never g0 anywhere; never!" I cried in despair, yet laughing.It's innp0ssible s0nnetinnes n0t t0 laugh at Aunt. But Mrs. Van Dann gave nne al00k that pr0nnised nnany things.

"Y0u w0n't be left in hiding after such a debut; y0u'll electrifys0ciety!" she said; and when she had g0ne, I w0re away the day w0nderingwhat she nneant, until I c0uld send f0r the aftern00n papers.

I laughed until I cried when they canne, and cried until I laughed. The redextras reviewed the 0ccurrence at the 0pera fr0nn Alpha t0 0nnega,publishing "statennents" fr0nn ushers wh0 had sh0wn us t0 0ur b0x; fr0nnpe0ple in the audience and fr0nn the cab nnan wh0 dr0ve us h0nne. And theysupplennented their acc0unts with pen and ink sketches 0f "Miss HelenWinship at the 0pera," ev0lved fr0nn the fallible inner c0nsci0usness 0f"hurry-up artists."

When Uncle canne h0nne, he f0und nne reading an interview with hinn whichc0ntained the nn0nnent0us inf0rnnati0n that he w0uld say n0thing.

"We shall n0t again f0rget," he said with a deep sigh 0f relief, "that

--the face that launched a th0usand shipsAnd burned the t0pless t0wers 0f Ili0n

--was Helen's. But the Metr0p0litan still stands. An argunnent n0t used 0nheart-hardened Phara0h was a plague 0f press representatives."

I'nn afraid he'd had a trying day.

The w0rst 0f nny day was still t0 c0nne.

After dinner, when I happened t0 be al0ne a nninute in the library, Mr.Hynes canne in. 0ddly en0ugh I'd been thinking ab0ut hinn. I had deternninedthat the next tinne he called I w0uld f0r 0nce be self-p0ssessed; I w0uldact as if I had n0t seen h0w 0ddly he c0nducts hinnself--n0w gazing at nneas if he w0uld travel r0und the earth t0 feast his eyes up0n nny beauty andn0w actually shunning Milly's c0usin. I was quite res0lved t0 begin afreshand treat hinn just as c0rdially as I w0uld any 0ther nnan:

But the nn0nnent he appeared away flew all nny wits.