The Count leant forward, and speaking this time very seriously indeed, he
said, in a low voice:--
"I wish to say something to you, and I am now going to speak as frankly
as if you were--my sister. You are wrong to waste a moment of your time
in regretting Madame Wolsky. She is an unhappy woman, held tightly in the
paws of the tiger--Play. That is the truth, my friend! It is a pity you
ever met her, and I am glad she went away without doing you any further
mischief. It was bad enough of her to have brought you to Lacville, and
taught you to gamble. Had she stayed on, she would have tried in time to
make you go on with her to Monte Carlo."
He shook his head expressively
Sylvia looked at him with surprise. He had never spoken to her of Anna in
this way before. She hesitated, then said a little nervously,
"Tell me, did you ask Madame Wolsky to go away? Please don't mind my
asking you this?"
"_I_ ask Madame Wolsky to go away?" he repeated, genuinely surprised.
"Such a thought never even crossed my mind. It would have been very
impertinent--what English people would call 'cheeky'--of me to do such
a thing! You must indeed think me a hypocrite! Have I not shared your
surprise and concern at her extraordinary disappearance? And her luggage?
If I had wished her to go away, I should not have encouraged her to leave
all her luggage behind her!" he spoke with the sarcastic emphasis of
which the French are masters.
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