She was rather small, and Steinmetz hid her as behind a screen.
"Ah!" he said to the countess, "his marriage! But Madame the Countess assuredly knows of that." "How could she ?" put in De Chauxville.
"The countess knew that Prince Paul was going to be married," explained Karl Steinmetz very slowly, as if he wished to give some one time.

"With such a man as he, 'going to be' is not very far from being." "Then it is an accomplished fact ?" said the countess sharply.
"Yesterday," answered Steinmetz.
"And you were not there!" exclaimed Countess Lanovitch, with uplifted hands.
"Since I was here," answered Steinmetz.
The countess launched into a disquisition on the heinousness of marrying any but a compatriot.

The tone of her voice was sharp, and the volume of her words almost amounted to invective.

As Steinmetz was obviously not listening, the lady imparted her views to the Baron de Chauxville.
Steinmetz waited for some time, then he turned slowly toward Catrina without actually looking at her.
"It is dangerous," he said, "to stay in this warm room with your furs." "Yes," she answered, rather faintly; "I will go and take them off." Steinmetz held the door open for her, but he did not look at her..