I did not know which to admire more, the portentous courtesy of the Grand Duke, or the icy dignity of the Grand Duchess. I thought for a moment that she would flinch and lose her self-possession under the infamous insinuation he had just made. She did nothing of the kind, and her reply was better than the attack that had provoked it:
"Irreplaceable you have rightly said, sir. And so it is with no idea of his taking Melusine's place that I ask you to leave Monsieur Vignerte entirely at my disposal. On the contrary, I rely on his devotion to help me to preserve as vivid a recollection as possible of our dear dead friend and the events of this tragic night."
She added:
"Owing to the fire M. Vignerte is actually without a roof. Will you kindly allow him to be my guest from this day forth?"
The Grand Duke bowed.
"It shall be done, madame, according to your wishes. May his society accord you a slight measure of that relief so necessary to your mental health after the heavy blows the will of the Most High has seen fit to inflict upon us."
Thereupon he left us.
In the Grand Duchess's boudoir, converted into a mortuary chapel, the coffin was smothered under a mass of Circassian roses and iris, between bowls from which the smoke of incense arose.
Aurora had wished to be alone with me to watch by the bier of her dead friend. Callers who diffidently asked for admittance received short shrift, I can assure you.
Dressed in a black Armenian tunic, she recited the beautiful prayers of her faith in low tones.