Coralie now sat with me.
"Mes compliments, Nicholas! She is lovely! But what a fox,—thou!"
"Am I not? It is so delicious to find things out for oneself!"
Coralie laughed; she has a philosophic spirit, as I have found always those much love-battered ones possess. She accepts my defection and again looks to the main chance to see how she can benefit by it.
At last the whole thing was over, and Maurice and I had a cigarette together in the tea room.
People would be crazy, "simply crazy, my dear chap," about Alathea, he told me. She was "séduisante," how right I had been! How fortunate I was! When was I going to England?
He said farewells after this, and once more my wife and I were alone in the brougham.
Alathea wore her mask. Having been received now as my wife, and by the Duchesse whom she loves and respects, she knows she cannot go on suggesting she will not live in the flat with me. She cannot bring herself to speak about Suzette, because the inference would be that she objects. I wondered if the Duchesse had been able to say anything to her.
She did not speak at all and went straight to her room when we arrived.
It was five minutes past eight when she came in to the sitting-room.