"I shall cross on Wednesday," he murmured; "then we can resume our conversation."
"What pleasure you promise me!" she retorted; and, closing the door, came back to the waiting diplomatist, yawning daintily. "Excuse me, M. Aksakoff: I have just ended a bad quarter of an hour."
"That young man, madame?"
"The same. He wants to marry me. Shocking, isn't it, seeing that I scarcely know how to pose as a widow?"
"But natural on his part, surely."
"How nicely you pay compliments! By the way," sliding away from the subject, "your daughter was here. She has gone off somewhere with your friend, M. Demetrius."
Aksakoff frowned. "It is kind of you to enlarge my circle of acquaintance, madame. I presume you desire to speak of this gentleman?"
Leah raised her eyebrows. "No; why should I?"
"Our conversation at Monte Carlo----"
"Did we converse? So we did! Something about a sunset, wasn't it?"