ith me, too?"

She approached Clemence and was about to seat herself in her lap, when
the latter arose to avoid this loving familiarity.

"So you really have beaten Christian," said she, in a listless tone;
"are you going for a ride now? Your habit is very becoming."

"Truly? oh! I am so glad!" replied the young girl, planting herself
before the glass to look at her pretty figure. She pulled down her
waist, adjusted the folds of the skirt of her dress and arranged her
veil, placed her hat on her head with a little more jaunty air, turned
three quarters around to get a better view of her costume; in one word,
she went through the coquettish movements that all pretty women learn
upon entering society. On the whole, she seemed very well pleased with
her examination, for she smiled and showed a row of small teeth which
were as white as milk.

"I am sorry now," said she, "that I did not send for a black hat; my
hair is so light that gray makes me look ugly. Do you not think so? Why
do you not reply, Clemence? One can not get a word out of you to-day; is
it because you have your neuralgia?"

"I have a trifle of it," said Madame de Bergenheim, in order to give
some pretext for her preoccupation.

"Now, then, you ought to come with us for a ride; the fresh air will do
you good. Look how fine the weather is now; we will have a good gallop.
Will you? I will help you put on your habit, and in five minutes you
will be ready. Listen, I hear them in the yard now. I am going to tell
Christian to have your horse saddled; come."

Aline took her sister-in-law by the hand, led her into the next room and
opened the window to see what was going on outside, where the cracking
of whips and several voices were to be heard. A servant was walking up
and down the yard leading a large horse which he had just brought from
the stable; the Baron was holding a smaller one, which bore a lady's
saddle, while he carefully examined all the buckles. As he heard the
window open above his head, he turned and bowed to Clemence with much
chivalrous gallantry.

"You still refuse to go with us?" he asked.

"Is Aline going to ride Titania," replied Madame de Bergenheim, making
an effort to speak; "I am sure the mare will end by playing her some
trick."

The young girl, who had a fancy for Titania because the skittish
creature had the attraction of forbidden fruit, nudged her sister with
her elbow, and made a little grimace.

"Aline is afraid of noth