. She is very brilliant. We will go to Europe and amuse
ourselves."

The Baroness had gone to the window, where she stood looking out. The
day was drearier than ever; the rain was doggedly falling. "Yes, to
amuse yourselves," she said at last, "you had decidedly better go to
Europe!" Then she turned round, looking at her brother. A chair stood
near her; she leaned her hands upon the back of it. "Don't you think it
is very good of me," she asked, "to come all this way with you simply to
see you properly married--if properly it is?"

"Oh, it will be properly!" cried Felix, with light eagerness.

The Baroness gave a little laugh. "You are thinking only of yourself,
and you don't answer my question. While you are amusing yourself--with
the brilliant Gertrude--what shall I be doing?"

"Vous serez de la partie!" cried Felix.

"Thank you: I should spoil it." The Baroness dropped her eyes for some
moments. "Do you propose, however, to leave me here?" she inquired.

Felix smiled at her. "My dearest sister, where you are concerned I never
propose. I execute your commands."

"I believe," said Eugenia, slowly, "that you are the most heartless
person living. Don't you see that I am in trouble?"

"I saw that you were not cheerful, and I gave you some good news."

"Well, let me give you some news," said the Baroness. "You probably will
not have discovered it for yourself. Robert Acton wants to marry me."

"No, I had not discovered that. But I quite understand it. Why does it
make you unhappy?"

"Because I can't decide."

"Accept him, accept him!" cried Felix, joyously. "He is the best fellow
in the world."

"He is immensely in love with me," said the Baroness.

"And he has a large fortune. Permit me in turn to remind you of that."

"Oh, I am perfectly aware of it," said Eugenia. "That 's a great item in
his favor. I am terribly candid." And she left her place and came nearer
her brother, looking at him hard. He was turning over several things;
she was wondering in what manner he really understood her.

There were several ways of understanding her: there was what she said,
and there was what she meant, and there was something, between the two,
that was neither. It is probable that, in the last analysis, what she
meant was that Felix should spare her the necessity of stating the case
more exactly and should hold himself commissioned to assist her by all
honorable means to marry the best fellow in the world. But in all