us, and she welcomed him with cordiality.
He launched on an account of his doings; then came to our affairs,
commiserating us on the trial of our ceremonies. For a while we talked
all to all; then I began to tell the Countess a little story.
Varvilliers and Elsa fell into a conversation apart. She had made him
sit by her. I bent down over my chair back, to converse more easily with
my Countess. All this was right enough, unless the talk were to continue
general.

I do not know how long we went on thus; some time I know it was. At last
it chanced that the Countess made no answer to what I said, and leaned
back in her chair with a thoughtful smile. I sighed, raised my head, and
looked across the room. I heard the other two in animated talk and their
gay laughter; for the moment my mind was not on them. Suddenly Wetter
passed in front of me; he had once been President of the Chamber, and
Princess Heinrich knew her duty. He was with William Adolphus, who
seemed in extremely good spirits. Wetter paused opposite to me and
bowed. I returned his salutation, but did not invite him to join us; I
hoped to speak to him later. Thus it was for a bare instant that he
halted. But what matters time? Its only true measure lies in what a man
does in it. Wetter's momentary halt was long enough for one of those
glances of his to play over the group we made. From face to face it ran,
a change of expression marking every stage. It rested at last on me. I
turned my head sharply toward Elsa; her cheek was flushed; her eyes
glistened; her body was bent forward in an eagerness of attention, as
though she would not lose a word. Varvilliers was given over to the
spirit of his talk, but he watched the sparks that he struck from her
eyes. I glanced again at Wetter; William Adolphus had seized his arm and
urged him forward. For a second still he stood; he tossed his hair back,
laughed, and turned away. Why should he stay? He had said all that the
situation suggested to him, and said it with his own merciless lucidity.

I echoed his laugh. Mine was an interruption to their talk. Elsa started
and looked up; Varvilliers' face turned to me. He looked at me for a
moment, then a strange and most unusual air of embarrassment spread over
him. The Countess did not speak, and her eyes were downcast. Varvilliers
was himself again directly; he began to speak of indifferent matters; he
was not so awkward as to let this incident be the occasion of his
leave-takin