e same politeness to a sister as to any one else."

"Oh, Auntie, I don't think Aunt Adeline or Aunt Cateau or Aunt Adolphine
would care to come!" said Marianne, not doubting Constance' good faith
for a moment.

"Oh, wouldn't they?" said Constance, coolly. "Yes, I suppose Aunt
Adeline is always so busy with the children. And Aunt Cateau...."

She did not complete her sentence, for two men, knowing that she was
Mrs. van Naghel's sister, were asking to be introduced to her.

She did not want to stay long; and, in a minute or two, she rose and
moved towards Bertha to say good-bye. Mrs. van Eilenburgh, however, was
taking leave at the same instant; and Constance waited for a couple of
seconds. And, in those two seconds, she noticed, very plainly, that Mrs.
van Eilenburgh deliberately turned her back on her, as if to avoid her,
saying good-bye to Bertha and giving Constance no opportunity of bowing.
It was no more than a hardly perceptible movement and, in any other
case, might have been a natural oversight; but, at this moment,
Constance felt that it was done deliberately, with the intention of
wounding. She gave an ironical smile, with a laugh in her eyes and
tightened lips, and thought:

"She is De Staffelaer's niece. I shall meet plenty more of his nephews
and nieces...."

She was now able to take leave of Bertha.

"Good-bye, Bertha."

"Good-bye, Constance, so nice of you...."

Constance, for a moment, looked Bertha straight in the eyes. She said
nothing, she did nothing but that: merely looked into Bertha's eyes
while still holding her hand. And, for a moment, they looked into each
other's souls.

There were no more callers; the rest of the room was talking busily; and
Bertha just had the opportunity to say something that forced its way to
her lips:

"Constance, that article...."

"Yes?..."

"Van Naghel is very much upset by it."

Constance shrugged her shoulders.

"Have you heard about it?"

"Yes, I found a copy of it in my letter-box. It's one of those
libels...."

"It's terrible."

"It's beneath us to let ourselves be worried by a thing like that."

"Yes, but ... it's most unpleasant ... for Van Naghel...."

"It's not particularly pleasant for me either, but...."

And she shrugged her shoulders again, refusing to admit how she had
suffered under it, trembling in all her nerves at those printed words of
scandal. But she understood that Bertha also had been suffering all
these days under tha