The afternoon sun was hidden behind a bank of grey clouds, the northeast wind came whistling insistently through the trees:—even that feeling of spring in the air had vanished. It was just a bleak grey winter's day now. Crystal felt herself shivering with cold. She drew her shawl more closely round her shoulders, then with eyes still wet with tears, but small head held well erect, she rose to her feet and walked rapidly back to the house.
III
Madame la Duchesse had in the meanwhile followed Hector along the corridor and down the finely carved marble staircase. At a monumental door on the ground floor the man paused, his hand upon the massive ormolu handle, waiting for Madame la Duchesse to come up.
He felt a little uncomfortable at her approach for here in the big square hall the light was very clear, and he could see Madame's keen, searching eyes looking him up and down and through and through. She even put up her lorgnon and though she was not very tall, she contrived to look Hector through them straight between the eyes.
"Is M. le Comte in there?" Madame la Duchesse deigned to ask as she pointed with her lorgnon to the door.
"In the small library beyond, Madame la Duchesse," replied Hector stiffly.
"And . . ." she queried with sharp sarcasm, "is the antechamber very full of courtiers and ladies just now?"
A quick, almost imperceptible blush spread over Hector's impassive countenance, and as quickly vanished again.
"M. le Comte," he said imperturbably, "is disengaged at the present moment. He seldom receives visitors at this hour."
On Madame's mobile lips the sarcastic curl became more marked. "And I suppose, my good Hector," she said, "that since M. le Comte has only granted an audience to his sister to-day, you thought it was a good opportunity for putting yourself at your ease and wearing your patched and mended clothes, eh?"