'In—deed!'
'Is there any harm in all that when he dances so delightfully?
'And oh, how handsome he is!' exclaimed Ernestine.
'I fear some harm has been done already; and I do not think that any gentleman should dance with a young lady before he has obtained the permission of her chaperone.'
There was now a pause, after which the Countess said:
'The Count urges our return before Heinrich arrives; so we shall take the train to Aix-la-Chapelle to-morrow.'
'So very soon, aunt?' said Herminia, growing pale.
'My dear, I am sorry to spoil your pleasure here; but to-morrow morning we go,' said the Countess, rising haughtily; 'come with me, Ernestine. I need your assistance with my correspondence.'
The mother and daughter swept out of the room, their dresses—the rustling moiré of the Countess and the maize-coloured silk of Ernestine—gliding noiselessly over the varnished floor, and Herminia was left to her own sad reflections.
'Ich bin sehr böse!' (I am very angry) she heard the Countess exclaim, as the door closed, and then she heard her cousin make some laughing response.