Page:The Rejuvenation Of Miss Semaphore.pdf/18

 woman and so attached to me—said, 'Dearest Mimi'—she always called me Mimi—'are English ladies in their own country, ladies of position such as you and I, allowed this liberty, not to say license, of action?' and I replied, 'No, Helène, certainly not.'"

The Misses Semaphore, Mrs. Whitley, and the lady doctor listened attentively to these reminiscences, but Mr. Lorimer was not impressed.

"I maintain," he said, "that this is a free country, and that those ideas are old-fashioned."

"I assure you that is not the opinion of the Princess Hatzoff, a woman who mixed in the very best society; nor was it the opinion of my dear friend, the ex-Empress of the French, Mr. Lorimer," replied Mrs. Dumaresq with a lofty air. "However, we will discuss the matter no further. In diplomacy one learns to avoid subjects on which one's experiences are different from those of other people, and so not likely to agree."

There was a subdued acidity in Mrs. Dumaresq's tone, there was a battle-breathing obstinacy in Mr. Lorimer's accent that led peaceful Miss Prudence to change the conversation.