“Pardon me, Mr. Fett—­” I began.

“Pardon me, sir,” he cut me short, with a flourish of his spoon.  “I know what you would say:  that you are impatient rather to hear how it is that you find me here in Genoa.  That also you shall hear, but permit me to come to it in my own way.  For the moment your news has unhinged me, and you will help my recovery by allowing me to talk a little faster than I can think. . . .  I loved your father, Cavalier. . . .  But our tale, just now, is of—­”

“THE GRAND DUCHESS AND HER THREE WOOERS.”

“Once upon a time, in Carinthia, there lived a Grand Duchess, of marriageable age.  Her parents had died during her childhood, leaving her a fine palace and an ample fortune, which, however, was not—­to use the parlance of the Exchange—­easily realizable, because it consisted mainly in an avenue of polished gold.  By this avenue, which extended for three statute miles, the palace was approached between two parallel lines of Spanish chestnuts.  It ran in an easterly direction and was kept in a high state of polish by two hundred retainers, so that it shone magnificently every morning when the Grand Duchess awoke, drew her curtains, and looked forth towards the sunrise.

“Her name was Sophia, and the charms of her young mind rivalled those of her person.  Therefore suitors in plenty presented themselves, but only to be rejected by her Chancellor (to whom she left the task of preliminary inspection) until he had reduced the list to three, whom we will call Prince Melchior, Prince Otto, and Prince Caspar.  The two former reigned over neighbouring states, but Prince Caspar, I have heard, came from the north, beyond the Alps.

“A day, then, was fixed for these three to learn their fate, and they met at the foot of the avenue, at the far end of which, on her palace steps, stood the Grand Duchess to make her choice.  Now, when Prince Melchior came to the golden road, he thought it would be a sin and a shame were his horse to set hoof on it and scratch it and perchance break off a plate of it; so he turned aside and rode up along the right of it under the chestnuts.  Likewise and for the same reason Prince Otto turned aside and rode on the left.  But Prince Caspar thought of the lady so devoutly and wished so much to be with her that he never noticed the golden pavement at all, but rode straight up the middle of it at a gallop.

“When the three arrived, Sophia felt that she liked Prince Caspar best for his impetuosity; but, on the other hand, she was terribly annoyed with him for having dented her precious avenue with hoof-marks.  She temporized, therefore, professing herself unable to decide, and dismissed them for three years with a promise to marry the one who in that time should prove himself the noblest knight.