Her smile had become almost a grimace, she was flushed, she showed her pretty teeth; but there was a little passionate quiver in her voice.
"My dear child," said Mrs.Vivian, "we should be delighted to have you pay us a visit, and we should be so happy if we could do you any good.
But I am afraid you would very soon get tired of us, and I ought to tell you, frankly, that our little home is to be--a broken up.

You know there is to be a--a change," the good lady continued, with a hesitation which apparently came from a sense of walking on uncertain ground, while she glanced with a smile at Bernard and Angela.
Blanche sat there with her little excited, yet innocent--too innocent--stare; her eyes followed Mrs.Vivian's.

They met Bernard's for an instant, and for some reason, at this moment, Bernard flushed.
He rose quickly and walked away to the window where he stood looking out into the darkness.

"The devil--the devil!" he murmured to himself; "she does n't even know we are to be married--Gordon has n't been able to trust himself to tell her!" And this fact seemed pregnant with evidence as to Gordon's state of mind; it did not appear to simplify the situation.

After a moment, while Bernard stood there with his back turned--he felt rather awkward and foolish--he heard Blanche begin with her little surprised voice.
"Ah, you are going away?
You are going to travel?
But that 's charming; we can travel together.