At length, when she felt sufficiently composed, she went to her own
chamber, where she made a more elaborate and beautiful toilet than
usual, preparatory to joining her husband and their guest at the
dinner-table.
"Now smile, eyes! smile, lips! flatter, tongue! Be a siren among the
sirens, Sybil! Be a serpent among the serpents!" she hissed, as she
glided down the stairs and entered the dining-room.
They were there! They were standing close together, in the recess of
the west window, gazing out at the sun, which was just setting behind
the mountain. They started, and turned towards her as she advanced. But
Sybil, true to her tactics, spoke pleasantly, saying: "You get a beautiful view of the sunset from that window, Mrs.
Blondelle."
"Yes, dear," answered Rosa, sweetly. "I was just drawing Mr. Berners'
attention to it, and telling him that I really believe use has blinded
him to its beauty."
"Possession is a great disenchanter," answered Sybil.
Both the others looked up to see if she had any hidden meaning under her
words. But apparently she had not. She was smiling very gayly as she
took her place at the head of the table and invited her companions to
take their seats.
Throughout the dinner-hour Sybil seemed in very high spirits; she was
full of anecdote and wit; she talked and laughed freely. Her companions
noticed her unusual gayety; but they ascribed it to the exhilarating
effects of her morning drive, and to the anticipations of her mask ball,
which now formed the principal subject of conversation at the table.
After dinner, they went into the drawing-room, where Sybil soon left her
husband and her guest alone together; or rather, she pretended to leave
them so; but really, with that insanity of jealousy which made her
forget her womanhood, she merely went out and around the hall into the
library, and placed herself behind the folding doors communicating with
the drawing room, where she could hear and see all that might be going
on between her husband and her rival.
It is proverbial that "listeners never hear any good of themselves."
Sybil's case was no exception to this rule. This is what she heard of
herself.
"What ever could have ailed Mrs. Berners," inquired Mrs. Blondelle, with
a pretty lisp.
"What could have ailed Sybil? Why, nothing, that I noticed. What
should have ailed her?" on his side inquired Mr. Berners.
"She was very much excited!" exclaimed Mrs. Blondelle, with a
significant shrug of her shoulders.
"Oh! that was from her exhilarating morning ride, which raised her
spirits."
"Which excited her excessively, I should say, if it really was the
ride."
"Of course it was the ride. And I admit that she was very gay," laughed
Mr. Berners.
"Gay?" echoed Rosa, raising her eyebrows--"Gay? Why, she was almost
delirious, my friend."