This flat might be very remunerative; but with her, never!
She has not even paid for the furniture--after two years!"
"But what will become of her?" Sophia asked.
"Ah--that!"
Another shrug of the shoulders.
"All that I know is that it will be necessary for me to leave here.
The last time I brought Monsieur Cerf here, she was excessively rude to him.
She has doubtless told you about Monsieur Cerf?"
"No.
Who is Monsieur Cerf?"
"Ah! She has not told you?
That astonishes me.
Monsieur Cerf, that is my friend, you know."
"Oh!" murmured Sophia.
"Yes," Laurence proceeded, impelled by a desire to impress Sophia and to gossip at large.
"That is my friend.
I knew him at the hospital.
It was to please him that I left the hospital.
After that we quarrelled for two years; but at the end he gave me right.
I did not budge. Two years!
It is long.
And I had left the hospital.
I could have gone back.
But I would not.
That is not a life, to be nurse in a Paris hospital!
No, I drew myself out as well as I could ... He is the most charming boy you can imagine!
And rich now; that is to say, relatively.
He has a cousin infinitely more rich than he.
I dined with them both to-night at the Maison Doree.
For a luxurious boy, he is a luxurious boy--the cousin I mean.
It appears that he has made a fortune in Canada."
"Truly!" said Sophia, with politeness.
Laurence's hand was playing on the edge of the bed, and Sophia observed for the first time that it bore a wedding-ring.
"You remark my ring?"
Laurence laughed.
"That is he--the cousin.
'What!' he said, 'you do not wear an alliance?
An alliance is more proper.
We are going to arrange that after dinner.'
I said that all the jewellers' shops would be closed.
'That is all the same to me,' he said.
'We will open one.'
And in effect ... it passed like that.
He succeeded!
Is it not beautiful?"
She held forth her hand.
"Yes," said Sophia. "It is very beautiful."
"Yours also is beautiful," said Laurence, with an extremely puzzling intonation.
"It is just the ordinary English wedding-ring," said Sophia. In spite of herself she blushed.
"Now I have married you.