His Hour

Tamara had just begun to dress when her godmother came into her room

next day.

"There is going to be a terrible snow storm, dear," she said. "I think

we should get down fairly early and suggest to Gritzko that we start

back to Moscow before lunch. It is no joke to be caught in this wild

country. I will send you in Katia."

Tamara's maid had been left in Petersburg, and indeed her godmother's,

an elderly Russian accustomed to these excursions, had been the only

one brought.

"I won't be more than half an hour dressing," she said. "Don't go down

without me, Marraine."

And the Princess promised and returned to her room.

"It has been a real success, our little outing, has it not?" she said,

when later they were descending the stairs. "Gritzko has been so quiet

and nice. I am so happy, dear child, that you can go away now without

that uncomfortable feeling of quarreling. There was one moment when he

got up from behind your chair last night I feared you had angered him

about something, but afterward he was so gentle and charming when we

talked I felt quite reassured."

"Yes, indeed," feebly responded Tamara. "The party has been positively

tame!"

They found their host had gone with Jack and the rest of the men to the

stables to inspect his famous teams. But Princess Sonia and Countess

Olga were already down. They were smoking lazily, and had almost

suggested a double dummy of their favorite game.

They hailed the two with delight, and soon the four began a rubber, and

Tamara, who hated it, had to keep the whole of her attention to try and

avoid making some mistake.

Thus an hour past, and first Stephen Strong and then the other men came

in.

Jack Courtray was enthusiastic about the horses, and indeed the whole

thing. He and Gritzko had arranged to go on a bear-hunt the following

week, and everything looked couleur de rose--except the sky,

that continued covered with an inky pall.

The Princess beckoned to Gritzko and took him aside. She explained her

fears about the storm, and the necessity of an earlier start, to which

he agreed.

"I am going to ask you to let us take Katia with us, we have only the

one maid, and must have her in Moscow when we arrive," she said.

So thus it was arranged. The Princess and Stephen Strong and Katia were

to start first, and Sonia and her husband would take both Serge and

Valonne, leaving Gritzko to bring Tamara, Olga and Lord Courtray last.