for a few days?"

"If my mother wishes it."

"But should you like to come?" persisted the elder woman.

"If my mother thinks it is best," answered Sabina, avoiding the
Baroness's eyes, as she resolutely avoided answering the direct
question.

But the Baroness was determined if possible to take in one of the
family, and it had occurred to her that Sabina would really be less
trouble than her mother or elder sister. Clementina was the eldest and
was already looked upon as an old maid. She was intensely devout, and
that was always troublesome, for it meant that she would insist upon
going to church at impossibly early hours, and must have fish-dinners
on Fridays. But it would certainly be conferring a favour on the
Princess to take Sabina off her hands at such a time. The devout
Clementina could take care of herself. With her face, the Baroness
reflected, she would be safe among Cossacks; besides, she could go
into a retreat, and stay there, if necessary. Sabina was quite
different.

The Princess thought so too, as it turned out. Sabina took the visitor
to her mother's door, knocked, opened and then went away, still
pressing her dead canary to her bosom, and infinitely glad to be alone
with it at last.

There was confusion in the Princess Conti's bedroom, the amazing
confusion which boils up about an utterly careless woman of the great