The Slim Princess | Page 6

something
to talk about for many weeks to come. It all came about as follows:

At the military club, the night before the party, a full score of young
men, representing the quality, sat at an oblong table and partook of
refreshments not sanctioned by the Prophet. They were young men of
registered birth and supposititious breeding, even though most of them
had very little head back of the ears and wore the hair clipped short and
were big of bone, like work-horses, and had the gusty manners of the
camp.
They were foolishly gloating over the prospect of meeting the two
daughters of the Governor-General, and were telling what they knew
about them with much freedom, for, even in a monarchy, the chief
executive and his family are public property and subject to the
censorship of any one who has a voice for talking.
Of these male gossips there were a few who said, with gleeful certainty,
that the elder daughter was a mere twig who could hide within the
shadow of her bounteous and incomparable sister.
"Wait until to-morrow and you shall see," they said, wagging their
heads very wisely.
To-morrow had come and with it the party and here was Kalora--a
pretty face peering out from a great pod of clothes.
They stood back and whispered and guessed, until one, more
enterprising than the others, suggested a bold experiment to set all
doubts at rest.
Count Malagaski had provided a diversion for his guests. A company
of Arabian acrobats, on their way from Constantinople to Paris, had
been intercepted, and were to give an exhibition of leaping and
pyramid-building at one end of the garden. While Kalora was chatting
with Mrs. Plumston, the acrobats had entered and, throwing off their
yellow-and-black striped gowns, were preparing for the feats. They
were behind the two women and at the far end of the garden. Mrs.
Plumston and Kalora would have to move to the other side of the tree
in order to witness the exhibition. This fact gave the devil-may-care
young bachelors a ready excuse.

"Do as I have directed and you shall learn for yourselves," said the one
who had invented the tactics. "I tell you that what you see is all shell.
Now then--"
Four conspirators advanced in a half-careless and sauntering manner to
where Kalora and the consul's wife sat by the sheltering tree, intent
upon their exchange of secrets.
"Pardon me, Mrs. Plumston, but the acrobats are about to begin," said
one of the young men, touching the fez with his forefinger.
"Oh, really?" she exclaimed, looking up. "We must see them."
"You must face the other way," said the young man. "They are at the
east end of the garden. Permit us."
Whereupon the young man who had spoken and a companion who
stood at his side very gently picked up Mrs. Plumston's big basket-chair
between them and carried it around to the other side of the tree. And the
two young men who had been waiting just behind picked up Kalora's
chair and carried her to the other side of the tree, and put her down
beside the consul's wife.
Did they carry her? No, they dandled her. She was as light as a feather
for these two young giants of the military. They made a palpable show
of the ridiculous ease with which they could lift their burden. It may
have been a forward thing to do, but they had done it with courtly
politeness, and the consul's wife, instead of being annoyed, was pleased
and smiling over the very pretty little attention, for she could not know
at the moment that the whole maneuver had grown out of a wager and
was part of a detestable plan to find out the actual weight of the
Governor-General's elder daughter.
If Mrs. Plumston did not understand, Count Selim Malagaski
understood. So did all the young men who were watching the
pantomime. And Kalora understood. She looked up and saw the lurking
smiles on the faces of the two gallants who were carrying her, and later
the tittering became louder and some of the young men laughed aloud.

She leaped from her chair and turned upon her two tormentors.
"How dare you?" she exclaimed. "You are making sport of me in the
presence of my father's guests! You have a contempt for me because I
am ugly. You mock at me in private because you hear that I am thin.
You wish to learn the truth about me. Well, I will tell you. I am thin. I
weigh one hundred and eighteen pounds."
She was speaking loudly and defiantly, and all the young men were
backing away, dismayed at the outbreak. Her father elbowed his way
among them, white with terror, and attempted to pacify her.
"Be