Part 31 (1/2)
”What would you have?” said the Baroness meekly enough, ”I have known those Caprianis ever so long, they live magnificently in Paris.”
”Indeed?” asked Mimi, ”does any one visit them?”
”Oh yes, crowned heads even,” said Zinka, ”and especially Princes of the blood travelling incog.”
”Oh, they--why, they go even to the _Mabille_,” said Mimi, ”and--well--perhaps there is a certain similarity between ....!”
”Oh, no, no,” interrupted Zoe, ”they have very decent manners; Capriani even turned out of his house lately a person who came without an invitation.”
”Really?” said Zinka, ”that, certainly, shows great progress; but is it true that at the Conte's last ball neither the eldest daughter, nor her husband was present?”
”Yes,” Zoe admitted. ”Those are some of the insolent airs with which Larothiere contrives to awe his father-in-law.”
”Go on,” said Mimi.
”I do not say that only the _elite_ appear at these b.a.l.l.s. _C'est toujours le monde a cote_, as they say in Paris, but,--good Heavens!
these Caprianis have been of service to me, and they always heaped me with attentions, but here they are beginning to behave positively disagreeably to me.”
”Perhaps your services in your native country have not answered their expectations,” said Mimi, ”Pistasch told me that you had been invited to Schneeburg on purpose to introduce the Caprianis into Austrian society. Was that only one of his poor jokes, or ....”
”I really did promise to do my best ....”
”My dear Zoe',” exclaimed Mimi Dey horrified, ”had you clean forgotten your Austria?”
”No, I had not forgotten it, only I fancied that in the last twenty-five years you might have conformed somewhat to the spirit of the age; but no, you are precisely the same as ever. When will you cease to entrench yourselves behind triple barriers?”
”When we feel sure that no suspicious individual will try to invade our realm,” said Mimi; ”our circle, moreover, is quite large enough, and if we are asked to admit a stranger, at least we have a right to discover beforehand whether he will or will not be an acquisition.”
That this didactic little speech was uttered princ.i.p.ally for her edification, the Countess Truyn was perfectly aware. She merely smiled calmly.
”I have no prejudices,” a.s.serted Fraulein Klette boldly. ”I am perfectly ready to be introduced to the Caprianis.”
”Yes, you are a great philosopher,” replied Mimi, gravely patting her on the shoulder, ”we all know that.”
”I shall not fail to represent to Capriani the advantage to be derived from your acquaintance,” said Zoe drily. ”And now I must make haste and execute a commission; I should really prefer to extricate myself from these a.s.sociations, but since I have got into the claws of this vulture I must keep him in good humour at least until he has gotten my finances into a better condition. And that brings me to what I have to ask of you, Wjera; I want you to do me a great favour.” Up to this point the Countess Lodrin had taken no part in the conversation, but had continued, apparently lost in thought, to work away with her large wooden needles at her woollen piece of knitting. Zinka, who had been watching her, thought her unusually pale. ”A favour? What is it?” asked the Countess.
”It is about your 'old Vienna' set of china, which you used to be so anxious to complete. The other half was at Schneeburg, and now belongs to Capriani. When he learned from me that you--er--were very fond of the set, he--er--asked me,--very kindly, as you must admit,--to offer you his half.”
The Countess's large wooden needles clicked louder, and more busily than ever, but she said not a word in reply.
”You really would do me a very great favour, Wjera,” persisted the baroness, ”three weeks ago he asked me to say this to you, and I have only to-day brought myself to do it. You will embarra.s.s me exceedingly by rejecting the china.”
Then Wjera with a quick angry gesture dropped her work, and looked up.
Her face in its stern pallor was like chiselled marble, but a dark glow shone in her eyes; Zinka thought that she had never beheld anything more beautiful or more haughty than that face at that moment. ”What price does your Herr Capriani ask for the china?” she asked curtly.
”Price?--Price?--he will deem himself only too happy by your acceptance of it...!”
”Ossi, that's a revoke!” exclaimed Pistasch spreading out two tricks upon the whist-table.
”He is playing very carelessly,” remarked Truyn.