of the woman? But I know if I have to choose between my art and a
husband, I shall continue to do without a husband."

Miss Carry had risen, and put one arm round her sister's neck, while
with the other she stroked the soft brown hair over the smooth forehead.

"And it shall not be taken away from its pretty theatre, it sha'n't!"
said she, pettingly; "and it shall not be asked to go away with any
great ugly Bluebeard, and be shut up in a lonely house--"

"Go away, Carry," said she, releasing herself. "I wonder why you began
talking such nonsense. What do you know about all those things?"

"Oh! very well," said the child, turning away with a pout; and she
pulled a rose and began to take its petals off, one by one, with her
lips. "Perhaps I don't know. Perhaps I haven't studied your manoeuvres
on the stage, Miss Gertrude White. Perhaps I never saw the newspapers
declaring that it was all so very natural and life-like." She flung two
or three rose petals at her sister. "I believe you're the biggest flirt
that ever lived, Gerty. You could make any man you liked marry you in
ten minutes."

"I wish I could manage to have certain schoolgirls whipped and sent to
bed."

At this moment there appeared at the open French window an elderly woman
of Flemish features and extraordinary breadth of bust.

"Shall I put dressing in the salad, miss?" she said, with scarcely any
trace of foreign accent.