"Oh most certainly he TOLD me his reason was because he 'liked' me!"--though she remained in doubt of whether that inarticulate comment had been provoked most by the familiarities she had offered or by those that, so pictured, she had had to endure. That the partner of her bargain had yearned to see her again, that he had plainly jumped at a pretext for it, this also she had frankly expressed herself to the Prince as having, in no snubbing, no scandalised, but rather in a positively appreciative and indebted spirit, not delayed to make out. He had wished ever so seriously to return her a part of her money, and she had wholly declined to receive it; and then he had uttered his hope that she had n't, (224) at all events, already devoted the crystal cup to the beautiful purpose so kindly and so fortunately named to him. It was n't a thing for a present to a person she was fond of, for she would n't wish to give a present that would bring ill luck.
That had come to him--so that he could n't rest, and he should feel better now that he had told her. His having led her to act in ignorance was what he should have been ashamed of; and if she would pardon, gracious lady as she was, all the liberties he had taken, she might make of the bowl any use in life but that one.
It was after this that the most extraordinary incident of all of course had occurred--his pointing to the two photographs with the remark that those were persons he knew, and that, more wonderful still, he had made acquaintance with them years before precisely over the same article. The lady, on that occasion, had taken up the fancy of presenting it to the gentleman, and the gentleman, guessing and dodging ever so cleverly, had declared that he would n't for the world receive an object under such suspicion.
He himself, the little man had confessed, would n't have minded--about THEM; but he had never forgotten either their talk or their faces, the impression altogether made by them, and, if she really wished to know now what had perhaps most moved him, it was the thought that she should ignorantly have gone in for a thing not good enough for other buyers. He had been immensely struck--that was another point--with this accident of their turning out after so long friends of hers too: they had disappeared, and this was the only light he had ever had upon them. He had (225) flushed up quite red with his recognition, with all his responsibility--had declared that the connexion must have had, mysteriously, something to do with the impulse he had obeyed. And Maggie had made, to her husband, while he again stood before her, no secret of the shock, for herself, so suddenly and violently received. She had done her best, even while taking it full in the face, not to give herself away; but she would n't answer--no, she would n't--for what she might in her agitation have made her informant think. He might think what he would--there had been three or four minutes during which, while she asked him question upon question, she had doubtless too little cared. And he had spoken, for his remembrance, as fully as she could have wished; he had spoken, oh delightedly, for the "terms" on which his other visitors had appeared to be with each other, and in fact for that conviction of the nature and degree of their intimacy under which, in spite of precautions, they had n't been able to help leaving him. He had observed and judged and not forgotten; he had been sure they were great people, but no, ah no, distinctly, had n't "liked" them as he liked the Signora Principessa.
Certainly--she had created no vagueness about that--he had been in possession of her name and address for sending her both her cup and her account. But the others he had only always wondered about--he had been sure they would never come back. And as to the time of their visit he could place it positively to a day--by reason of a transaction of importance, recorded in his books, that had occurred but a few hours later. He had left her in short definitely (226) rejoicing that he had been able to make up to her for not having been quite "square" over their little business by rendering her so unexpectedly the service of this information. His joy moreover was--as much as Amerigo would!--a matter of the personal interest with which her kindness, gentleness, grace, her charming presence and easy humanity and familiarity, had inspired him. All of which while, in thought, Maggie went over it again and again--oh over any imputable rashness of her own immediate passion and pain as well as over the rest of the straight little story she had after all to tell--might very conceivably make a long sum for the Prince to puzzle out.