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"Garden of Red Flowers"
187

tinued, alluding to the woman we had just seen.

Far down in Gina's eyes, whose nervous energy was tired and worn out,—somewhere very deep down,—there shone a livid gleam of disquiet.

She gazed searchingly at her fiance, but there was no change in the expression of his face. After a time, he was aware that her glance was upon him; then he bent forward to her, and, stroking her glove, said smiling:

"What is the matter with you, Gina?"

"Nothing—only love for you," she whispered.

Afterwards, we sat with Mme. Wildenhoff almost till dawn.

"What's to be done? If he loves her no longer, he cannot be forced to stay with her," said Mme. Lola to me, speaking of Owinski, of course. "Changes in feeling have nothing in common with ethics and the sense of duty." … And so on, and so on.

Gina approached us presently.

"To-morrow I shall be living by myself," she told us. "I am now in such a state that I can't bear any one, not even so amiable a person as Idalia. She will live in my studio,