"God grant that you will be soon! It's the wish of a true friend."
The Baron returned, and with him the girl, dressed in a pale green evening dress, cut very low.
I pretended to be dazzled by her appearance, and screening my eyes with both my hands, exclaimed—
"Don't you know that it's dangerous to look at you?"
"Isn't she lovely?" asked the Baroness in a strange voice.
After a short time the couple withdrew, and for the second time we were left by ourselves.
"Why are you so unkind to me these days?" she asked, with tears in her voice, gazing at me wistfully, with the eyes of an ill-treated dog.
"I?... I had no idea that...."
"You've changed towards me; I wonder why.... If I'm to blame in any way...."
She pushed her chair closer to mine, looked at me with luminous eyes, trembled and ... I jumped up.