Mrs. Martens knelt by the bed. "I've been thinking of my lover, too, while you've been away. We have each lost the man who made the world a wonderful place--henceforth you and I must live among the shadows--but because we have each other, it shall not be quite so hard."
It was a long time before they came back to the question of Diana's departure.
"But what excuse can you give for going now, Diana?"
"My health," said Diana, promptly. "Everybody knows that I first went to Germany for the baths, and I can say what is true,--that the dampness here disagrees with me, with my throat."
"To the mountains; oh, Sophie, I shall lift up my eyes to the hills, and hope for strength----"
Out of the ensuing silence came the sound of a little tap at the door.
"Is Diana there?" asked Bettina on the other side. "I thought I heard her voice."
As Bettina came in, the radiance of youth shone from within and round about her. She kissed Diana. "Oh, so many things have happened," rapturously, "since you went away. Do you want me to tell you about them?"
"You blessed baby," said Diana, and it seemed to Sophie that in her voice was a note of sincere affection.
Bettina curled herself up on the foot of Diana's bed. "Well, in the first place," she said, "Anthony gave me a ring--a lovely ring, and a little guard to wear with it."
Diana did not flinch. "And why aren't you wearing your lovely ring," she asked, "for all the world to see?"
"Oh, but you said I mustn't," Bettina told her, "and so I keep it here."
She tugged at a slender chain which hung around her neck, and brought forth from beneath the embroidered thinness of her gown the two rings, which gave out flashing lights as she bent toward Diana.
Diana did not touch them. "They're lovely," she said, steadily; "aren't they, Sophie?"
"I'm glad he didn't give me pearls," Bettina went on, as Mrs. Martens exclaimed at their beauty, "because pearls mean tears."
"Oh, but not as love gifts," said Bettina, quickly. "It's only when your lover gives you a pearl that you weep--my mother's gift from my father was a great pearl--and when--he went away--she dropped it--into the sea.
"And I didn't blame her." Bettina was swinging her own rings back and forth, and they gave out a silvery tinkle like a chime of fairy bells. "I didn't blame her, although the pearl was worth a great deal of money and we were poor. I shouldn't want a ring after a man had ceased to love me, would you?"