. We played cards till daybreak. Klempa is still asleep with his
beard sealed to the table."

"A nice sort of thing for grown-up folks to do!" remarked Mrs.
Mravucsan.

Gyuri shook hands with them all, and Veronica got up and made a deep
courtesy.

"Good-morning, early riser," she said. "Why are you staring at me so?"

"I don't know how it is," stammered Gyuri, gazing at the girl's
beautiful face, "but you seem to me to have grown."

"In one night?"

"You were quite a little girl yesterday."

"You appear to be dazed!"

"I certainly am when I look at you."

"You seem to be sleepy still. Is this the time of day to get up?"

The playful, gentle tone was delightful to Gyuri, and he began to be
quite talkative.

"I fell asleep for a short time, and if the servant had not woke me, I
should be asleep still. Oh, if he had only waited five minutes longer!"

"Had you such a pleasant dream?" asked Mrs. Mravucsan. "Will you take
some coffee?"

"If you please."

"Won't you tell us your dream?"

"I was going to marry--in fact, had got as far as the proposal."

"Did she refuse you?" asked Veronica, raising her head, the beauty of
which was enhanced by the rich coronet of hair, in which she had stuck a
lovely pink.

"I don't know what would have happened, for at the critical moment the
servant woke me."

"What a pity, we shall never know how it would have turned out!"

"You shall know some time."

"How?"

"I will tell you."

"How can you do that? Dreams cannot be continued from one night to
another like novels in a periodical."

Gyuri drank his coffee, lit a cigar, and from out the cloud of smoke he
replied in a mysterious voice, his eyes turned heavenward:

"There are such dreams, as you will see. And how did you sleep?"

Thereupon Mrs. Mravucsan began to tell the story of Veronica's adventure
with the kitten. Every one laughed, poor Veronica was covered with
blushes, and Mrs. Mravucsan, finding the opportunity a good one,
launched upon a little lecture.

"My dear child, exaggeration is never good, not even in modesty. You
will have to get used to such things. What will you do when you are
married? You will not be able to shut your husband out of your room."

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Veronica. "How can you say such dreadful things!"

And she jumped up, blushing furiously, and ran away to the
gooseberry-bushes, where her dress got caught, and in trying to move on,
the gathers got torn. Thereupon there