parry what will follow!"




CHAPTER II


When the baroness appeared at the dinner-table, she was attired simply,
yet with a certain elegance. She wore a plain black silk gown, with no
other ornamentation save the string of genuine pearls about her throat.
The sombre hue of her gown signified mourning; the gems represented
tears; but her manner was by no means in keeping with either; she was
cheerful, even gay. But laughter very often serves to mask a sorrowful
heart.

"Thy place is here by my side," said the baroness, mindful of the
"thee-and-thou" compact with Herr Bernat.

The vice-palatine, remembering his spouse, sought to modify the
familiarity.

"I forgot to tell you, baroness," he observed, as he seated himself in
the chair beside her own, "that with us in this region 'thou' is used
only by children and the gypsies. To those with whom we are on terms of
intimacy we say 'he' or 'she,' to which we add, if we wish, the words
_bácsi_, or _hugom_, which are equivalent to 'cousin.'"

"And do you never say 'thou' to your wife?"