The Princess Casamasssima: A dangerous character

As foreseen: "our hero" Hyacinth (!) Robinson meets up with his friend, the affable working-class radical Paul and he tells Paul that the Princess C., whom he'd just met at the theater, would love to meet him - and then Hyacinth is a little surprised the Paul spurns: Paul doesn't trust any Princess or other member of the ruling classes who says they support the working classes, he knows that when the moment comes to its crisis the aristocracy will identify with its own and with its own interests and will betray the working-class radicals in a heartbeat. He also intuits that the Princess is essentially "slumming," that she wants to meet working-class men as a sort of adventure and as a way to prove (to herself primarily) that she's not imprisoned by limitations of her class and her upbringing. Of course we have seen examples of many privileged people who have put their advantages aside and worked for radical reform of society, sometimes including violent ends - only a few of the great revolutionary leaders of the past century have actually been working-class or peasants. And then think of the student radical of the 60s - many of whom were children of privilege. But we suspect that Paul is right and that Hyacinth is wrong, that H. is blinded by the PC's beauty and charm and by his wishful thinking, that she will turn out to be an evil or dangerous influence - especially in contrast with the woman who is selflessly devoting herself to Paul's invalid sister, Rosy, and who, we suspect, may be building toward a romantic relationship with Paul.