Chapter 25 - Page 2

they were the same
person. Both were exquisitely nymphlike, fair and large eyed and
both had the fine light hair which is capable of forming itself
into a halo. The Duchess stood and looked at them for the moment
spell-bound. She slightly caught her breath. She was borne back so
swiftly and so far. Her errand in the next door shop was forgotten.
She went into the one which displayed the photographs.

"I wish to look at the two photographs which are so much alike,"
she said to the man behind the counter.

He knew her as most people did and brought forth the photographs
at once.

"Many people are interested in them, your grace," he said. "It was
the amazing likeness which made me put them beside each other."

"Yes," she answered. "It is almost incredible." She looked up
from the beautiful young being dressed in the mode of twenty years
past.

"This is--WAS--?" she corrected herself and paused. The man
replied in a somewhat dropped voice. He evidently had his reasons
for feeling it discreet to do so.

"Yes--WAS. She died twenty years ago. The young Princess Alixe of
X--" he said. "There was a sad story, your grace no doubt remembers.
It was a good deal talked about."

"Yes," she replied and said no more, but took up the modern
picture. It displayed the same almost floating airiness of type,
but in this case the original wore diaphanous wisps of spangled
tulle threatening to take wings and fly away leaving the girl
slimness of arms and shoulders bereft of any covering whatsoever.

"This one is--?" she questioned.

"A Mrs. Gareth-Lawless. A widow with a daughter though she looks
in her teens. She's older than the Princess was, but she's kept
her beauty as ladies know how to in these days. It's wonderful to
see them side by side. But it's only a few that saw her Highness
as she was the season she came with the Prince to visit at Windsor
in Queen Victoria's day. Did your grace--" he checked himself
feeling that he was perhaps somewhat exceeding Bond Street limits.

"Yes. I saw her," said the Duchess. "If these are for sale I will
take them both."

"I'm selling a good many of them. People buy them because the
likeness makes them a sort of curiosity. Mrs. Gareth-Lawless is
a very modern lady and she is quite amused."

The Duchess took the two photographs home with her and looked at
them a great deal afterwards as she sat in her winged chair.

They were on her table when Coombe came to drink tea with her in
the afternoon.

When he saw them he stood still and studied the two faces silently
for