"Ah! you'd prefer. Whenever you say that, you've something to find fault with."
"You've guessed it. I'd prefer your leaving the queen to divulge her secrets at her own pleasure. I thought you were a friend of hers--"
"And so I am."
"Well, and since I am your morning preacher to-day, let me give you another warning. You are in danger of becoming one of those ladies who have no friends of their own sex."
"Is that really so dreadful?"
"Most assuredly. You must have a female friend, or there is some fault in your disposition. Isolation, such as yours, warps one's character, and, consciously or otherwise, results in vanity. If, from among all the ladies here, you can't make even one your friend, the fault must lie in yourself."
"But there's no harm in my having a male friend, a friend like yourself."
"I couldn't wish you a truer one."
Irma walked beside the doctor in silence.
When they again reached the lawn in front of the palace, Irma said: