Several of the guests had noticed this little scene.

My heart was hissing within me. I said offendedly: "But at least you owe
me an explanation..."

She rose, took both my hands, and said earnestly:

"But not to-day; not now. I am so miserable. Heavens, how you look at
me. We were friends once..."

Overwhelmed, I turned right about, and went in to the dancers again.

A little after, Edwarda herself came in and took up her place by the
piano, at which the travelling man was seated, playing a dance; her face
at that moment was full of inward pain.

"I have never learned to play," she said, looking at me with dark eyes.
"If I only could!"

I could make no answer to this. But my heart flew out towards her once
more, and I asked:

"Why are you so unhappy all at once, Edwarda? If you knew how it hurts
me to see--"

"I don't know what it is," she said. "Everything, perhaps. I wish all
these people would go away at once, all of them. No, not you--remember,
you must stay till the last."