Then, as I was preparing for further indiscretion, the door behind us opened and was closed again instantly. I knew it was Thusis. The certainty chilled my very bones.
"Who was it?" I asked carelessly.
"Only the waitress," said she.
"The red-haired one?"
"I believe so. Is she Swiss?"
I did not answer.
The Countess looked up and repeated the question. "Where did you find her?" she added.
There was a short silence. An almost imperceptible change came over her features. Then, daintily, and by degrees, she inclined her head a little nearer.
But it was not in me to betray Thusis for a kiss. Slowly, however, I became aware that I was betraying myself.
Presently the Countess rose in the gathering dusk, and I stood up immediately.