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"Goodness, that doesn’t happen often," replied Ivy Although she had heard nificance of the tirade, for she asked at that juncture, looking with concern into her dear friend’s ashen face, "Why, Alexia, my dear, are you quite well?"

"No, Ivy, I aewe are in the land of such things, then, isn’t it?"

"What things?"

"Ruins"

"Oh, Ivy, really"

"Not even a smile? You must truly be afflicted by sentimental upset Do you feel faint? I’ve never known you to faint, but I suppose one is never too young to start trying"

Then, much to Ivy’s shock and Alexia’s horror, the bold-as-brass Lady Maccon--paragon of assertive behavior and wielder of stoicism, parasols, and the occasional cryptic reht there on the front step of a public hostelry in central Alexandria

Mrs Tunstell, horrified beyondarm about her friend and hustled her quickly inside Hotel des Voyageurs and into a private side parlor where she called for tea and instructed the nursemaid to see that the children were cleaned and put down for a nap Alexia had just enough presence of mind to babble out that under no circumstances was anyone to attempt to bathe Prudence

Alexia continued to blubber incoherently and Ivy to pat her hand sympathetically Mrs Tunstell was clearly at a loss as to what else she uish

Tunstell appeared in the doorway at one point, riding atop Prudence’s s--his knees up by his ears and grinning like a maniac Even that failed to cheer Alexia Ivy sent her husband off with a quick shake of her head and a stern, "Tunny, this is a serious ht of my life, what has happened to your hat?"

"Never mind that now I have an emotional crisis on my hands"

Tunstell, shaken to the core by the fact that his as clearly not disturbed by the loss of one of her precious bonnets, elected to take Alexia’s tears seriously and stopped soodness, what can I do?"

"Do? Do! Men are useless in suchthe tea!"

Tunstell and the e did arrive, but it was once again honey-sweetened coffee, not tea This only ive for a cup of strong Assam with a dollop of quality Britisharound her!

She sobbed "Oh, Ivy, what aain" Shequite undone to ask Mrs Ivy Tunstell for advice

Ivy clasped Alexia’s hand in both of hers andnoises "There, there, Alexia, it will all be all right"

"Hoill it be all right? I lied to him"

"Oh, but you’ve done that heaps of ti thatofbut I did it anyway Oh, blast Professor Lyall How could he get one off and gotten himself killed, none of this would have happened"

"Now, Alexia, language"

"Right when I have iue and I need Conall here to helpoff And it’s all destroyed, all lost"

"Really, Alexia, I’ve never known you to be fatalistic before"

"Too s of The Death Rains of Swansea, I suppose"

There came a bustle at the door and another familiar face peeked in "What on earth has happened? Alexia, are you well? Is it Prudence?" Madaloves carelessly aside, she dashed over to the divan and sat next to Alexia, on the other side fro Mrs Tunstell’s natural British reticence, the Frenchwo her bony ar her cheek to the top of Alexia’s dark head She stroked Alexia’s back up and down in long, affectionate caresses, which reminded Alexia of Conall and made the tears, which were almost under control, start up once more

Genevieve looked at Ivy curiously "Why, Mrs Tunstell, whatever could cause our Alexia to be so overset?"

"She has had ato do with a letter, and Professor Lyall, and a trifle, and soummy"

The absurdity of Ivy’s interpretation was the boost Alexia needed to rein in her runaway senti I et myself in order and come up with a way to fix this She took a deep, shaky breath and a long sip of the horrible coffee to calhs, because, as she could only surnity whatsoever

"Old history," she said at last "With olves, it is never so very well buried as one ht hope Suffice it to say that Conall has discovered so it to start with He is not happy about this Sticky, indeed"

Genevieve, sensing Alexia was beginning to recover, let her go and sat back, pouring herself a cup of coffee

Mrs Tunstell, wishing to provide soan prattling on about their adventures at the bazaar in highly easped in all the right places, and by the ti better, if not entirely up to snuff

Alexia turned the full focus of her attention onto the French inventor "And how about you, Genevieve? I trust your explorations about the metropolis have proved more enjoyable than ours?"

"Well, they were certainly less exciting I had a matter of business to conduct It seems, however, to have opened up more questions than it answered"

"Oh?"