with my bad German. When I am alone
with anyone it goes better, but if there are many people listening I am
nervous and can hardly speak at all. How glad I am that you are here!"

Anna's shyness, now that she was by herself with one of her forlorn
ones, had vanished, and she prattled happily for some time, putting as
many mistakes into her sentences as they would hold, before she became
aware that the baroness's replies were monosyllabic, and that she was
examining her from head to foot with so much attention that there was
obviously none left over for the appreciation of her remarks.

This made her feel shy again. Clothes to her were such secondary
considerations, things of so little importance. Susie had provided them,
and she had put them on, and there it had ended; and when she found that
it was her dress and not herself that was interesting the baroness, she
longed to have the courage to say, "Don't waste time over it now--I'll
send it to your room to-night, if you like, and you can look at it
comfortably--only don't waste time now. I want to talk to you, to _you_
who have suffered so much; I want to make friends with you quickly, to
make you begin to be happy quickly; so don't let us waste the precious
time thinking of clothes." But she had neither sufficient courage nor
sufficient German.

She put out her hand rather timidly, and making an effort to bring her
companion's thoughts back to the things that mattered, said, "I hope you
will like living with me. I hope we shall be very happy together. I
can't tell you how happy it makes me to think that you are safely here,
and that you are going to stay with me always."

The baroness's hands were clasped in front of her, and they did not
unclasp to meet Anna's; but at this speech she left off eyeing the
dress, and began to ask questions. "You are very lonely, I can see," she
said with another of the pinched smiles. "Have you then no relations? No
one of your own family who will live with you? Will not your _Frau Mama_
come to Germany?"

"My mother is dead."

"_Ach_--mine also. And the _Herr Papa_?"

"He is dead."

"_Ach_--mine also."

"I know, I know," said Anna, stroking the unresponsive hands--a trick of
hers when she wanted to comfort that had often irritated Susie. "You
told me how lonely you were in your letters. I lived with my brother and
his wife till I came here. You have no brothers or sisters, I think you
wrote."

"None," said the baroness wit