As for Christian--you had better talk to
Nicholas. I am going to lie down."

Herr Paul nervously fingered the shirt-collar round his stout, short
neck.

"Nicholas! Certainly--a good idea. Quelle diable d'afaire!"

'French!' thought Mrs. Decie; 'we shall soon have peace. Poor Christian!
I'm sorry! After all, these things are a matter of time and
opportunity.' This consoled her a good deal.

But for Christian the hours were a long nightmare of grief and shame,
fear and anger. Would he forgive? Would he be true to her? Or would he
go away without a word? Since yesterday it was as if she had stepped
into another world, and lost it again. In place of that new feeling,
intoxicating as wine, what was coming? What bitter; dreadful ending?

A rude entrance this into the life of facts, and primitive emotions!

She let Greta into her room after a time, for the child had begun
sobbing; but she would not talk, and sat hour after hour at the window
with the air fanning her face, and the pain in her eyes turned to the sky
and trees. After one or two attempts at consolation, Greta sank on the
floor, and remained there, humbly gazing at her sister in a silence only
broken when Christian cleared her throat of tears, and by the song of
birds in the garden. In the afternoon she slipped away and did not come
back again.

After his interview with Mr. Treffry, Herr Paul took a bath, perfumed
himself with precision, and caused it to be clearly understood that,
under circumstances such as these, a man's house was not suited for a pig
to live in. He shortly afterwards went out to the Kurbaus, and had not
returned by dinner-time.

Christian came down for dinner. There were crimson spots in her cheeks,
dark circles round her eyes; she behaved, however, as though nothing had
happened. Miss Naylor, affected by the kindness of her heart and the
shock her system had sustained, rolled a number of bread pills, looking
at each as it came, with an air of surprise, and concealing it with
difficulty. Mr. Treffry was coughing, and when he talked his voice
seemed to rumble even more than usual. Greta was dumb, trying to catch
Christian's eye; Mrs. Decie alone seemed at ease. After dinner Mr.
Treffry went off to his room, leaning heavily on Christian's shoulder. As
he sank into his chair, he said to her:

"Pull yourself together, my dear!" Christian did not answer him.

Outside his room Greta caught her by the sleeve.

"Look!