Page:Elizabeth Jordan--Tales of the city room.djvu/99

 me? I, a perfect stranger to her, had her last words and her last kiss. It does n't seem right. Why did you bring me forward?"

Miss Van Orden laughed and drew her young friend out into the quiet of the convent garden. She had recovered her equanimity and was prepared to look at all things in a cheerful and philosophic light.

"My dear girl," she said lightly, "don't be absurd. There is no one here who had a better right to her last moment than you. Of course we are all her friends, but we have only the claim and affection of friends. Dolores was one of the most brilliant and fascinating women I ever met. You see, I already use the past tense. She had insisted on burying herself, and we have harrowed our souls by attending her funeral. Everybody will now go home and eat dinner with a wholly normal appetite. It's the way of the world. One can't afford to mourn even as much as one ought to. I am going to get some of that pink lemonade the lay sisters are offering visitors in the reception-room, and bring it here to drink in this hallowed spot. Don't you want some?"