“How I do hate secrets! I never had one of my own in my life,” said Aunt Sophie, with funny simplicity.
When evening came Lilith set out to walk to the hotel to keep her appointment with the baroness.
When she reached that lady’s apartments, however, she was met by the secretary, who, after politely greeting her, explained the absence of the baroness.
“Madame is ill! She is ill! Headache. Migraine, you know,” he said, in a very pathetic tone. “She lies in a room pitch dark; her maid sits beside her, silent as death. It is a vault—it is a grave, for she cannot bear the faintest ray of light, or murmur of sound. She can see no one; but before she retired to her bed she bade me receive you here, excuse her to you, and say to you, in brief, that the reason why she changed her steamer was that there was a party going by the Kron Prinz with whom she did not wish to sail, and that she would explain further when you meet. Meanwhile, chère madame, all arrangements are completed for our embarkation on the Kaiser Wilhelm on Saturday morning. Our baggage will be sent on board on Friday evening.”
Lilith thanked the old secretary for his information, left her sympathetic regrets for Madame Von Bruyin, and arose to depart.
“I will have the honor to see you home, madame,” said the polite secretary, as he attended Lilith downstairs and out to the sidewalk.
There, as before, he called a carriage, put her into it, took a seat by her side and ordered the coachman to drive to Mrs. Downie’s boarding-house.
He only left Lilith when he had seen her enter the hall.
“And now, honey, what is it?” inquired Aunt Sophie, as soon as the two friends were seated in the front parlor together. “You are back a heap sooner than I expected. What did she tell you?”
“Nothing. I did not see her. She has gone to bed with a severe headache. But she left a short message for me with Monsieur Le Grange to the effect that the reason why she would not sail by the Kron Prinz was that there was a party going by that steamer with whom she did not wish to travel,” answered Lilith.