Floyd laughs at that.

"Well, it was a charming call. I was a little afraid Laura would be
vexed over the cup; you see, I don't know the propriety of gift-giving,
but I _do_ know the delight"; and her face is in a lovely glow. "Why do
you suppose people care so much for those things? Papa was always
collecting. Why, _we_ could almost open a museum."

"You can sell them, in a reverse of fortune," says the professor, with
an amusing smile.

Floyd inquires if she will return to her room, but Freilgrath insists
that they shall have tea in here. Mrs. Grandon is his first lady guest.

The carriage meanwhile rolls away in silence. Laura and Gertrude
bickered all the way over, and now, if Gertrude had enough courage and
was aggressive by nature, she would retort, but peace is so good that
she enjoys every precious moment of it; but at night, when Laura is
lingering in Madame Lepelletier's room, while Arthur smokes the remnant
of his cigar on the porch, she says, with a sort of ironical gayety,--

"Well, were you quite extinguished by Mrs. Floyd? You seem dumb and
silent! She looked exceptionally well, toned down and all that, though
I did expect to find her playing with a doll."

"She is quite a pretty girl," returns madame, leisurely, carefully
folding her exquisite lace fichu and laying it back in its scented box.
"Very young, of course, and will be for years to come, yet tolerably
presentable for an _ingenue_. And after all, Laura, she is your
brother's wife."

"But the awful idiocy of Floyd marrying her! And demure as she looks,
she makes desperately large eyes at the professor. So you see she has
already acquired _one_ requisite of fashionable life."

"There will be less to learn," replies madame, with charming
good-nature.

"Oh, I suppose we _shall_ have to take her up some time, but I can
never get over my disappointment, never! It is seeing her in _that_
place that makes me so savage!" and she kisses the handsome woman, who
forgives her; and who hugs to her heart the secret consciousness that
Floyd Grandon does not love his wife, though he may be fond of her.

Violet improves rapidly, and is taken out to drive, for Floyd cannot
bear to have her lose the fine weather. They read a little French
together, and he corrects her rather too provincial pronunciation. Her
education is fairly good in the accomplishments, and she will never
shame him by any ignorance, unless in some of the little usages of
society that