-four hours had passed before Gretchen was
at her feet, and vowed that she was the German equivalent for a
"perfect darling." In return Miss Jones taught her how to make quince
jelly, flavored with the kernels in the stones. Two days sufficed to
conciliate Roeschen; and when she discovered that Miss Jones did not
positively and unequivocally condemn the homicidal eccentricities of
Lucrezia Borgia, she declared with noble enthusiasm that Miss Jones
was "a grand soul." As for Minchen, she held out heroically against
Miss Jones's blandishments; but at the end of a week she too
succumbed. Miss Jones had complimented her in imperfect German, but
with the sweetest of accents, on her wax flowers, and had drawn new
designs for her, full of animation and dash. Presently they said
"thou" to each other, and Miss Jones, who had been Lulu at home, was
metamorphosed into Luischen. Even the Frau Professorin, who at first
had put her down as an artful little minx, began to forget her grudge
against her. The Professor found it a positive hardship that he was
not at liberty to kiss her. But the most amusing thing of the whole
affair was that they all became her partisans against her recreant
lover, Grover, who had trifled so wantonly with her feelings. They
made cautious overtures to condole with her, but, in spite of the
tenderest sympathy, found her singularly uncommunicative on this
subject. Now the goddesses, who in external charm did not profess to
compete with her, had in the first flush of their enthusiasm been
quite disposed to sacrifice themselves upon the altar of their
devotion; but, although they could have forgiven any other form of
maltreatment, Lulu's apparent distrust of them wounded them deeply.
They had looked forward to delicious nocturnal confidences, when, half
disrobed, each should visit the other's boudoir and discuss the
fascinating topic from all possible and impossible points of view.
That Lulu had proved impervious to all hints of this nature was a
slight which could not be pardoned, at least not without due penance
on her part. Moreover, to add to their mortification, there seemed
daily to be less occasion for sympathy. Lulu was winning Mr. Grover
back to his allegiance slowly but surely. He called, now, almost every
afternoon, took long walks with her through the Rosenthal, and barring
a certain Anglo-Saxon reserve (which in Germany is thought perfectly
incomprehensible) behaved in every way as an engaged man