"Ah, but she was dead long before she died," said the Duchess as she came to perch on the arm of Julie's chair, and threw her arm round her friend's neck. "After her little sister departed this life she became a very silent, shrivelled thing--except for her religion--and very few people saw her. She took a fancy to me--which was odd, wasn't it, when I'm such a worldling?--and she let me come in and out. Every morning she read the Psalms and Lessons, with her old maid, who was just her own age--in this very chair. And two or three times a month Freddie would slip round and read them with her--you know Freddie's very religious. And then she'd work at flannel petticoats for the poor, or something of that kind, till lunch. Afterwards she'd go and read the Bible to people in the workhouse or in hospital. When she came home, the butler brought her the _Times_; and sometimes you'd find her by the fire, straining her old eyes over 'a little Dante.' And she always dressed for dinner--everything was quite smart--and her old butler served her. Afterwards her maid played dominoes or spillikins with her--all her life she never touched a card--and they read a chapter, and Cousin Mary played a hymn on that funny little old piano there in the corner, and at ten they all went to bed. Then, one morning, the maid went in to wake her, and she saw her dear sharp nose and chin against the light, and her hands like that, in front of her--and--well, I suppose, she'd gone to play hymns in heaven--dear Cousin Mary! Julie, isn't it strange the kind of lives so many of us have to lead? Julie"--the little Duchess laid her cheek against her friend's--"do you believe in another life?" "You forget I'm a Catholic," said Julie, smiling rather doubtfully. "_Are_ you, Julie? I'd forgotten." "The good nuns at Bruges took care of that." "Do you ever go to mass?" "Sometimes." "Then you're not a good Catholic, Julie?" "No," said Julie, after a pause, "not at all. But it sometimes catches hold of me." The old clock in the hall struck. The Duchess sprang up. "Oh, Julie, I have got to be at Clarisse's by four. I _promised_ her I'd go and settle about my Drawing-room dress to-day. Let's see the rest of the house."