“Good-bye, Ber-r-rtha,” said Aunt Lot, looking through the door. “We’re going, Ber-r-rtha.”
Constance and Bertha went back to the drawing-room. Bertha forgot to wipe the tears from her eyes, kissed Aunt Lot. Adolphine and Cateau came up to Bertha:
“Ber-tha,” whined Cateau; and this time she whined with a vengeance. “We just want-ed to say a word to you. Emilie-tje must not get a di-vorce.”
“No,” said Adolphine, “if she goes and gets a divorce, the family will become impossible. It’ll create a scandal, if they are divorced.”
“Ye-es,” Cateau droned aloud, “it would be a scan-dal, Ber-tha. Don’t you think so too, Constance?”
“There’s no question of it ... for the moment,” said Constance. “Emilie has gone abroad for a bit with Henri; and the change is sure to do her good and make her a little calmer.”
“Oh?... Has she gone a-broad?”
“Where to?” asked Adolphine, all agog.
“They were to go to Paris,” said Constance, without hesitating.
“O-oh?... Has Emilie-tje gone to ... Pa-ris?”