Mr. Strong laughed.

"It will depend upon how much it angers Gritzko. It could come to mean
anything--bloodshed, a scandal, or merely bringing things to a crisis
between them.--Let us hope, for the latter."

"Indeed, yes"

"You must remember, for an Englishwoman it would be very difficult to
grasp all the possibilities in the character of Gritzko. We are not
accustomed to these tempestuous headlong natures in our calm country."

"Fortunately Boris and Gritzko are very great friends."

"I never heard that the warmest friendship prevented jealousy between
men," Stephen Strong said, a little cynically--he had suffered a good
deal in his youth.

"I am delighted we are going to Moscow. There will be no Boris, and I
shall arrange for my two children to be together as much as possible. I
feel that is the surest way," the Princess answered; and they talked of
other things.

After the ballet was over the party went on to supper at Cubat's in a
private room, contrary to the Princess' custom. But it was Stephen
Strong's entertainment, and he had no house to invite them to.

As they passed down the passage to their salon the door of another
opened as a waiter came out, and loud laughter and clatter of glass
burst forth, and above the din one shrill girl's treble screamed: