er had induced him to
give her an opportunity of queening it for once amongst them all.

She felt that she shone in her splendour in comparison with the
pale-faced bride in all her village finery. She carried a sunshade and a
reticule, her dark hair was arranged in frisettes under her
broad-brimmed hat; she knew that the men were casting admiring glances
on her, and in any case, for the moment, she was the centre of universal
observation.

Whilst some of the young men were engaged in carrying old Kapus into the
house, a proceeding which kept the festive throng waiting outside, she
tripped up daintily to Elsa, and said in soft, cooing tones:

"It was kind of you, my dear Elsa, to include me among your personal
friends on such an important occasion. As the young Count was saying to
me only last night, 'You will give Irma neni and little Elsa vast
pleasure by your presence at the child's maiden's farewell, and mind
you wear that lovely hat which I admire so much.' So affable, the young
Count, is he not? He told me that nothing would do but when I get
married he must come himself to every feast in connection with my
wedding."

But once she had delivered these several little pointed shafts, Klara
Goldstein was far too clever to wait for a retort. Before Elsa, whose
simple mind was not up to a stinging repartee, could think of something
indifferent or not too ungracious to say, the handsome Jewess had
already spied Andor's face among the crowd.

"There is the hero of the hour, Bela," she said, turning to the
bridegroom, who had stood by surly and defiant; "these past five years
have not changed him much, eh? . . . Your future wife's old sweetheart,"
she added, with a malicious little laugh; "are you not pleased to see
him?"

Then, as Bela somewhat clumsily, and with a pretence at cordiality which
he was far from feeling, went up to Andor and held out his hand to him,
Klara continued glibly:

"Poor old Andor! he is a trifle glum now. I never told him that his
sweetheart was getting married to-morrow. Never mind, my little Andor,"
she added, turning her expressive dark eyes with a knowing look upon the
young man; "there is more fish in the Maros than has come out of it. And
I thought that you would prefer to get the truth direct from our pretty
Elsa!"

"I think you did quite right, Klara," said Andor indifferently.

But in the meanwhile Bela had contrived to come up quite close to Elsa,
and to whisper hurriedly in h