Man and Maid

At that moment the crowd returned from the other room and the Duchesse

rose and left me.

Coralie now sat with me.

"Mes compliments, Nicholas! She is lovely! But what a fox,--thou!"

"Am I not? It is so delicious to find things out for oneself!"

Coralie laughed; she has a philosophic spirit, as I have found always

those much love-battered ones possess. She accepts my defection and

again looks to the main chance to see how she can benefit by it.

At last the whole thing was over, and Maurice and I had a cigarette

together in the tea room.

People would be crazy, "simply crazy, my dear chap," about Alathea, he

told me. She was "séduisante," how right I had been! How fortunate I

was! When was I going to England?

He said farewells after this, and once more my wife and I were alone

in the brougham.

Alathea wore her mask. Having been received now as my wife, and by the

Duchesse whom she loves and respects, she knows she cannot go on

suggesting she will not live in the flat with me. She cannot bring

herself to speak about Suzette, because the inference would be that she

objects. I wondered if the Duchesse had been able to say anything to

her.

She did not speak at all and went straight to her room when we arrived.

It was five minutes past eight when she came in to the sitting-room.

"I am sorry if I have kept you waiting," were her first words.

At dinner we spoke ceremoniously of the party. And when we went back to

the salon she went straight to the piano and played divinely for an

hour.

The music soothed me. I felt less angry and disturbed.

"Won't you come over and speak now?" I called in a pause, and she came

over and sat down.

"Don't let us talk to-night," she said. "I am trying to adjust things in

my mind. I want to go to my mother to-morrow, if you will agree. She is

ill again, and has not been able to start. From there I will tell you if

I can force myself to keep on with it, or no."

"I cannot understand why it should be so difficult, the idea did not

affright you when we first talked of it. You voluntarily accepted the

proposal, made your bargain, promised to stick to it, and here after

three days you are trying to break out, and are insinuating that the

circumstances are too horrible for you to continue bearing it. Surely

your reason and common sense must tell you that your behaviour is

grotesque."