acques was setting out for the South
Pole, and papa considered me much too young to get married, I promised
Jacques to wait for his return."

"Why, it was everything that's romantic!" cried Marie.

"Romantic? Oh, yes," said Germaine; and she pouted. "But between
ourselves, if I'd known that he was going to stay all that time at the
South Pole--"

"That's true," broke in Marie. "To go away for three years and stay
away seven--at the end of the world."

"All Germaine's beautiful youth," said Jeanne, with her malicious smile.

"Thanks!" said Germaine tartly.

"Well, you ARE twenty-three. It's the flower of one's age," said Jeanne.

"Not quite twenty-three," said Germaine hastily. "And look at the
wretched luck I've had. The Duke falls ill and is treated at
Montevideo. As soon as he recovers, since he's the most obstinate
person in the world, he resolves to go on with the expedition. He sets
out; and for an age, without a word of warning, there's no more news of
him--no news of any kind. For six months, you know, we believed him
dead."

"Dead? Oh, how unhappy you must have been!" said Sonia.

"Oh, don't speak of it! For six months I daren't put on a light frock,"
said Germaine, turning to her.

"A lot she must have cared for him," whispered Jeanne to Marie.

"Fortunately, one fine day, the letters began again. Three months ago a
telegram informed us that he was coming back; and at last the Duke
returned," said Germaine, with a theatrical air.

"The Duke returned," cried Jeanne, mimicking her.

"Never mind. Fancy waiting nearly seven years for one's fiance. That
was constancy," said Sonia.

"Oh, you're a sentimentalist, Mlle. Kritchnoff," said Jeanne, in a tone
of mockery. "It was the influence of the castle."

"What do you mean?" said Germaine.

"Oh, to own the castle of Charmerace and call oneself Mlle.
Gournay-Martin--it's not worth doing. One MUST become a duchess," said
Jeanne.

"Yes, yes; and for all this wonderful constancy, seven years of it,
Germaine was on the point of becoming engaged to another man," said
Marie, smiling.

"And he a mere baron," said Jeanne, laughing.

"What? Is that true?" said Sonia.

"Didn't you know, Mlle. Kritchnoff? She nearly became engaged to the
Duke's cousin, the Baron de Relzieres. It was not nearly so grand."

"Oh, it's all very well to laugh at me; but being the cousin and heir
of the Duke, Relzieres would have assumed the title, and I should have
been Duch