Prosper forgot everything but to blurt out his wonder.
"Galors, madam, Galors! But I am not Galors, good Lord! Ah!" (and he
pulled up his visor). "Look upon me, madam, and judge if I am Galors."
The Countess gasped, then blushed: all the household grew dumb. Master
Porges went out suddenly into the air. The first to recover breath was
the lady paramount.
"Ah, my Lord Prosper le Gai," she said, "in your revenge I see your
father's son. Should I not have known? I am at your mercy, my lord.
You have struck me hard at last, harder than before, but may be not
harder than I deserve."
"Madam," said Prosper, "it seems I have struck you harder and nearer
than I knew. For your present joy has given me the most wondrous news
that ever I had in the world."
"But the letter of Galors, was it not from you?" she cried out.
"I know nothing of letters from Galors, Countess. When I write it is
in my own name."
"There is mystery here. He wrote me of my daughter, that he would
bring her--ah, and take her again. She has come as he said. But where
is Galors?"
Prosper lifted on high the head of his enemy. "Here he is," said he.
A timely diversion was caused here by a certain red-cheeked girl, by
name Melot. She had already proved the sharpness of her sloe-black
eyes; she proved it now again by seeing, alone of all that company,
the hounded page-boy in the Lady Pietosa de Bréauté. After her first
gape of re-discovery, being a girl of parts, conscious that generosity
was afoot, she edged her way to the front, stooped suddenly and caught
at the hem of the red silk robe to kiss it.
"What is this, wench?" said the Countess, glad of the relief.
Then said Melot on her knees, "My lady, I do this because I was the
first who sinfully found out your ladyship's lady daughter when she
was here before like a boy; and I pray her pardon, and yours, my lady,
and yours again, Messire, for the deadly sin I did."
Red-cheeked Melot ran on glibly up to this point on a beaten track.
All maidens of her class wallow in contrition. But when her words
failed her, she sought a distressed lady's proper shelter, and began
to cry. Isoult stooped and caught her up before she could be stayed.
She was too newly a Countess, you see.