But Sylvia Bailey was entirely unused to being snubbed--pretty young
women provided with plenty of money seldom are snubbed--and so she did
not turn away and leave the hall, as Madame Malfait hoped she would do.
"What a strange thing!" she observed, in a troubled tone. "How
extraordinary it is that my friend should have gone away like this,
leaving her luggage behind her! What can possibly have made her want to
leave Lacville in such a hurry? She was actually engaged to have dinner
with our friends, Monsieur and Madame Wachner. Did she not send them any
sort of message, Madame Malfait? I wish you would try and remember what
she said when she went out."
The Frenchwoman looked at her with a curious stare.
"If you ask me to tell you the truth, Madame," she replied, rather
insolently, "I have no doubt at all that your friend went to the Casino
yesterday and lost a great deal of money--that she became, in fact,
_decavee_."
Then, feeling ashamed, both of her rudeness and of her frankness, she
added:
"But Madame Wolsky is a very honest lady, that I will say for her.
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