19

She was quiet and composed and yet not excessively shy, and her way of avoiding the scrutiny of even Nakanokimi's women suggested that she was not wanting in intelligence. Her speech was astonishingly reminiscent of Oigimi's. Yes, thought Nakanokimi, remembering that there had been talk of a statue of her sister. She would like to have him see _this_ image.

And just then there came a shouting. “The general is here, the general is here?”

The usual care went into arranging the curtains.

“I must have a look at him,” said the governor's wife. “Everyone says he's wonderfully handsome, but of course he can't possibly be as handsome as the prince.”

“We don't know about _that_,” replied the women. “We'd be hard put to choose between them.”

“When they are side by side,” said Nakanokimi, “my husband seems rather short on good looks; but when they are apart it really is impossible to decide which one is the better-looking. The way good looks have of blotting out everyone else can be rather annoying.”

“This is just talk,” laughed one of her women. “It would take a very extraordinary man to blot out Prince Niou.”

Now he was getting out of his carriage, came the report; but he was concealed by his retinue, shouting to clear the way. Then they saw him approaching. Yes, thought the governor's wife: these were not the showy kind of good looks, but the impression was of a gentle elegance such as to make one feel rather common. She smoothed her hair at the forehead.

He had a large retinue, for he was on his way home from court.

“I was told last night that Her Majesty was ill. She seemed lonely without her children, and so I stayed on in place of the prince. He was late this morning too. You must be charged with responsibility for these delinquencies, I fear.”

“Very kind of you,” she answered simply, “I am sure.”

He of course had something on his mind, for he had come at a time when he knew that Niou would be at court.