shook hands with her. He admired much less the more formal obeisance
which he noticed a second after. A royal personage was leaving; and as
this lady, who was dressed in mourning, and was leaning on the arm of a
gentleman whose coat was blazing with diamond stars, and whose breast
was barred across with a broad blue ribbon, came along the spacious
landing at the foot of the wide staircase, she graciously extended her
hand and said a few words to such of the ladies standing by as she knew.
That deep bending of the knee he considered to be less pretty than the
little courtesy performed by the young ladies in cream-white silk. He
intended to mention this matter to his cousin Janet.

Then, as soon as the Princess had left the lane, through which she had
passed closed up again, and the crowd became a confused mass of
murmuring groups. Still meekly following, Macleod plunged into this
throng, and presently found himself being introduced to Lady
Beauregard--an amiable little woman who had been a great beauty in her
time, and was pleasant enough to look at now. He passed on.

"Who is the man with the blue ribbon and the diamond star?" he asked of
Mr. Ogilvie.

"That is Monsieur le Marquis himself--that is your host," the young
gentleman replied--only Macleod could nor tell why he was obviously
trying to repress some covert merriment.

"Didn't you hear?" Mr. Ogilvie said at length. "Don't you know what he
called you? That man will be the death of me--for he's always at it. He
announced you as Sir Thief Macleod--I will swear he did."

"I should not have thought he had so much historical knowledge," Macleod