s are a race apart--there
are men, women, and husbands; and if they pay bills, and shoot big game in
Africa, it is all one ought to ask of them; to be able to see jokes is
superfluous. Mine is most inconvenient, because he generally adores me,
and at best only leaves me for a three weeks' cure at Homburg, and now and
then a week at Paris; but Malcolm could be sent to the Rocky Mountains,
and places like that, continuously; he is quite a sportsman."

"That is not my idea of a husband," I said.

"Well, what is your idea, snake-girl?"

"Why do you call me 'snake-girl'?" I asked. "I hate snakes."

She took her cigarette out of her mouth, and looked at me for some
seconds.

"Because you are so sinuous; there is not a stiff line about your
movements, you are utterly wicked-looking and attractive, too, and
un-English, and what in the world Aunt Katherine asked you here for with
those hideous girls I can't imagine. I would not have, if my three angels
were grown up, and like them--" Then she showed me the photographs of her
three angels--they are pets.

But my looks seemed to bother her, for she went back to them.

"Where do you get them from? Was your mother some other nation?"

I told her how poor mamma had been rather an accident, and was nobody
much. "One could not tell, you see; she might have had any quaint creature
beyond the grand-parents--perhaps I am mixed with Red Indian or nigger."

She looked at me searchingly.

"No, you are not; you are Venetian. That is it--some wicked, beautiful
friend of a Doge, come to life again."

"I know I am wicked," I said. "I am always told it; but I have not done
anything yet, or had any fun out of it, and I do want to."

She laughed again.

"Well, you must come to London with me when I leave here on Saturday, and
we will see what we can do."

This sounded so nice, and yet I had a feeling that I wanted to refuse; if
there had been a tone of patronage in her voice, I would have in a minute.
We sat and talked a long time, and she did tell me some interesting
things. The world, she assured me, was a delightful place if one could
escape bores, and had a good cook and a few friends. After a while I left
her, as she suddenly thought she would come down to luncheon.

"I don't think it would be safe, at the present stage, to leave you alone
with Robert," she said.

I was angry.

"I have promised not to play with him; is that not enough?" I exclaimed.

"Do you know, I belie