hat
there would be a great many things to talk about; but the Baroness was
apparently inclined to talk about nothing.

"Write her a note, asking her leave to come and see her. I think that is
what she will like," said Gertrude.

"Why should I give her the trouble of answering me?" Charlotte asked.
"She will have to write a note and send it over."

"I don't think she will take any trouble," said Gertrude, profoundly.

"What then will she do?"

"That is what I am curious to see," said Gertrude, leaving her sister
with an impression that her curiosity was morbid.

They went to see the Baroness without preliminary correspondence; and in
the little salon which she had already created, with its becoming light
and its festoons, they found Robert Acton.

Eugenia was intensely gracious, but she accused them of neglecting her
cruelly. "You see Mr. Acton has had to take pity upon me," she said. "My
brother goes off sketching, for hours; I can never depend upon him. So I
was to send Mr. Acton to beg you to come and give me the benefit of your
wisdom."

Gertrude looked at her sister. She wanted to say, "That is what she
would have done." Charlotte said that they hoped the Baroness would
always come and dine with them; it would give them so much pleasure;
and, in that case, she would spare herself the trouble of having a cook.

"Ah, but I must have a cook!" cried the Baroness. "An old negress in a
yellow turban. I have set my heart upon that. I want to look out of my
window and see her sitting there on the grass, against the background of
those crooked, dusky little apple-trees, pulling the husks off a lapful
of Indian corn. That will be local color, you know. There is n't much
of it here--you don't mind my saying that, do you?--so one must make
the most of what one can get. I shall be most happy to dine with you
whenever you will let me; but I want to be able to ask you sometimes.
And I want to be able to ask Mr. Acton," added the Baroness.

"You must come and ask me at home," said Acton. "You must come and see
me; you must dine with me first. I want to show you my place; I want to
introduce you to my mother." He called again upon Madame M; auunster,
two days later. He was constantly at the other house; he used to walk
across the fields from his own place, and he appeared to have fewer
scruples than his cousins with regard to dropping in. On this occasion
he found that Mr. Brand had come to pay his respects to the charmin