"Poor dear De Relzieres: he won't be out of bed for the next six
months," said the Duke; and he laughed lightly and gaily.

"Good gracious!" cried Germaine.

"It will do poor dear De Relzieres a world of good. He has a touch
of enteritis; and for enteritis there is nothing like rest," said
the Duke.

Sonia was not getting on very quickly with the wedding-cards.
Germaine was sitting with her back to her; and over her shoulder
Sonia could watch the face of the Duke--an extraordinarily mobile
face, changing with every passing mood. Sometimes his eyes met hers;
and hers fell before them. But as soon as they turned away from her
she was watching him again, almost greedily, as if she could not see
enough of his face in which strength of will and purpose was mingled
with a faint, ironic scepticism, and tempered by a fine air of race.

He finished his tea; then he took a morocco case from his pocket,
and said to Germaine, "It must be quite three days since I gave you
anything."

He opened the case, disclosed a pearl pendant, and handed it to her.

"Oh, how nice!" she cried, taking it.

She took it from the case, saying that it was a beauty. She showed
it to Sonia; then she put it on and stood before a mirror admiring
the effect. To tell the truth, the effect was not entirely