the green walnut tree. âDonât hesitate to say yes, because I too believe that Paris is the only place to buy clothes.â
So Henriette confessed that her dress was a French model from the Spitzer Salon. If only these visits were over, she thought.
âCharming,â Sophie admitted, and asked if they had made all the calls in the house and whether they had seen every one. âEven theââ She was itching to say something about her arch-enemy, the former Kubelka woman, but decided it would be improper to initiate her new relative into such delicate matters too abruptly, so she desisted. On the other hand, she had no scruples about putting a question which so horrified Franz that his mouth fell open and he started out of his chair.
âYou know that I was opposed to your marriage?â she said bluntly to Henriette.
Despite the experience of the last hour the girl looked at the old lady helplessly. âNo,â she replied.
âWhatâs that?ââ Sophie asked, suddenly turned deaf.
âAunt Sophie,â Franz roared, âwe came to make a call on you!â
âDonât you think heâs a silly fellow?â Sophie said, devoting herself to Henriette. âOf course youâve come to make a call, and the last one in the house, at that. You have been to see thatâthat Kubelka woman first. And if you had had it your way you wouldnât have come calling at all. I mean FranzâI donât know about you,â she added to Henriette.
At this point old Poldi came in with some cherry brandy and Sacher cake.
Sophie shook her head as she watched her elderly servant pass the refreshments, and after Poldi had left she said, âYou must be sure, my child, to get good maids. So much in life depends on the Poldis and the Maries. How many servants will you keep?â
This question being somewhat difficult to relate to the preceding one, a break in the conversation occurred, during which the parrot repeatedly offered thanks for nothing and Sophie, with firm fingers, cut the thin layers of the cake with chocolate icing. âI can well believe that you have had to eat your way through a lot of stuff,â she suggested as she passed the cake. âYou can leave what you donât want.â She herself tasted a little piece. âWell, how many servants will you keep?â
âWe donât know yet,â her nephew answered curtly.
âMiserable stuff, this icing,â Sophie objected. âYouâre not angry with me for what I said a few minutes ago, are you, my child?â
âFrankly I am, a little.â
Sophie nodded. âThatâs just what I like. I mean frankness. I never have liked to play hide-and-seek. I told Franzââ
âAuntie!â her nephew interrupted.
âOh, shut up! Do you think the girl canât take the truth? I did my best to talk him out of this marriage, I daresay you can guess why.â
âHere I am! Here I am!â the parrot croaked from the next room.
âYes, there you are! ââ the old lady replied. She pushed away her painted porcelain plate with the slice of cake. âOr arenât you interested?â
âIâm afraid it wouldnât alter things even if I knew what you have against me,â said Henriette, mustering her last forces of self-control.
âThatâs the first nonsense Iâve heard you talk,â Sophie said decidedly. âNow if you two had let me have my sayâit is advisable, my child, to let other people have their say, especially if they have had a little more experienceâI should have told you that I had revised my opinion about you. Not only because of your appearance, which to be sure is not against youâitâs a good sign that you are capable of blushing! Youâre clever too. Not too clever, I trustâitâs never good for a wife to be too clever. You could probably be a good wife for that foolish
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