' It made me feel very grown-up to have her confide so much in
me: and never being with children at all, gave me grown-up thoughts."
"Poor child!" said Stephen.
"Oh, I was very happy. It was only after--but that isn't the way to tell
the story. Our stepmother--whom we always called 'Mrs. Ray,' never
'mother'--liked officers, and we got acquainted with a good many French
ones. They used to come to the flat where we lived. Some of them were
introduced by our French governess, whose brother was in the army, but
they brought others, and Saidee and Mrs. Ray went to parties together,
though Mrs. Ray hated being chaperon. If poor Saidee were admired at a
dinner, or a dance, Mrs. Ray would be horrid all next day, and say
everything disagreeable she could think of. Then Saidee would cry when
we were alone, and tell me she was so miserable, she would have to marry
in self-defence. That made me cry too--but she promised to take me with
her if she went away.
"When we had been in Paris about two months, Saidee came to bed one
night after a ball, and waked me up. We slept in the same room. She was
excited and looked like an angel. I knew something had happened. She
told me she'd met a wonderful man, and every one was fascinated with
him. She had heard of him before, but this was the first time they'd
seen each other. He was in the French army, she said, a captain, and
older than most of the men she knew best, but very handsome, and rich as
well as clever.
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