"Yes, you understand, perfectly well. You know the girls slight me and snub me every chance they get. But it will not always be thus. To-morrow----" "Come, Aunt Lucy," pleaded Pauline, "let us have some music. You know there are some new records, just arrived to-day. Let us hear them." "Are there new records? Did you get the ones I wanted?" "Some of them. We couldn't get them all." "Oh, no, of course not! But if _you_ had wanted certain records they would have been found!" "But, Auntie Lucy, we couldn't get them if they aren't made, could we? Gray tried his best." "Oh, tried his best! He forgot to ask for them, so he says he 'tried his best,' to excuse his carelessness. If Anita had wanted them----" The starting of the music drowned further flow of the lady's grievances. II A CLASH OF TONGUES True to its reputation for calming the impulses of the turbulent spirit, the music soothed Miss Carrington's ruffled temper, and she waxed amiable and even gay. Enthroned on her favorite red velvet chair, resplendent in an elaborately decorated gown of sapphire blue satin, with her bright auburn locks piled high and topped by an enormous comb of carved tortoise-shell, she dominated the little group and gave orders that must be obeyed. She wore, among other jewels, a magnificent rope of pearls. So remarkable were these, that the Count, who had never seen them before, ventured to refer to them. "Yes," agreed Miss Carrington, "they are wonderful. Practically priceless, I assure you. It took my agent years to collect them." "And you grace an informal home evening with these regal gems?" "Not usually, no. But you know, Count Charlier, pearls must be worn frequently to preserve their lustre. Laid away a long time, they grow dead and dull-looking." "You keep them here? Is it safe, think you?" "I don't keep them here all the time. Indeed, I got these from the Safe Deposit only this morning. I shall return them there in a few days. While here, I shall wear them all I can to liven them up." "You brought a lot of your other jewels, didn't you, Aunt Lucy?" said Pauline, casually; "why did you? Are you going to a ball?" "No: I wish to--to look them over and plan to have some reset." "But are they safe?" inquired the Count again; "do you not fear thieves?" "No, we never have such things as robbery in Merivale Park. It is a quiet, well-behaved neighborhood." "But you have a safe?" went on the Count; "you take at least that precaution?" "Oh, yes, I have a safe in my boudoir. There is really no danger. Count Charlier, would you like to hear me sing? Find one of my records, Gray." Miss Carrington's singing voice had been a fine one and was still fair. She sometimes amused herself by making records for her phonograph, and Gray Haviland managed the mechanical part of it. "Which one, Lady Lucy?" he asked, as he rummaged in the record cabinet.