“Perhaps I may give them a place among mine too,” said Madame Berger, seating herself on the sofa, and taking her knitting apparatus out of her pocket. Her fingers were soon in such quick motion, that it was impossible to follow them, but so expert was she in this kind of work, that her head turned in every direction, and her eyes wandered round the room as if she had been totally unoccupied. “Why, girls, what is the matter with you both this evening? I never saw you so dull. We can fancy ourselves tête-à-tête,” she said, laughingly, to Hamilton, “if you would only cease playing with your teaspoon and sit down beside me here.”
Hamilton immediately took the offered place, and Madame Berger, half playfully, half maliciously, turned quite away from the sisters. “Well,” she continued, glancing covertly toward them; to-morrow is our first ball; “of course you have heard of our muslin dresses and wreaths of roses?”
“No,” said Hamilton, “I only returned here yesterday evening, and have heard nothing about it. Where is the ball?”
“At the Museum. You are a member of the club, I believe—it is there you read the foreign newspapers, you know. I shall keep a waltz or galop for you.”
“To-morrow, did you say? and I am invited to a private ball at Court! If it were only the day after!”
“This all comes from cholera!” cried Madame Berger, in a tone of vexation. “Everything heaped together at the end of the carnival! There is to be a masquerade at the theatre on Monday; you said you wished to go to one; let us at least arrange something about that.”
“Can you not promise to be of the party?” said Hamilton, turning to Hildegarde.
“It will altogether depend upon papa,” she answered coldly, and then left the room without looking towards the speakers.
“Come here, Crescenz,” said Madame Berger, “come here, and I will tell you how we can manage it: your mother intends to go some day or other to see her father. Why not on Monday, if Mr. Hamilton offers his sledge?”
“Oh, she is so afraid of his horses, that nothing would tempt her to take them.”