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with Celestine on his arm.
    Celestine, dressed in a late mourning dress of lavender silk with an amethyst pin on a black ribbon at her throat, curtsied prettily to Grand’mere, dimpled at Darcourt, and was graciousness itself to Elizabeth. But since such extreme graciousness implied a certain amount of condescension, Elizabeth’s smile in return was small.
    “You have come out of black!” Darcourt exclaimed, setting his plate on the table. “The sun may shine again!”
    Celestine frowned with downcast eyes at such levity, and at such notice being paid to her change into colors. But Elizabeth saw her peek complacently at the hem of her dress in the small mirror set into the lower half of the sideboard.
    “Are we pretending not to notice?” Darcourt raised his brows, obviously in high spirits. “Frankly I am more than tired of seeing nothing but crows. It seems to me the main occupation in this house is attending to death and mourning. I miss Felix as much as any, but he would not have liked this perpetual gloom, you know. I have never understood why we must all be plunged into black draperies for three years at the demise of every relative. Why, I know women who have not been out of the black for more than a year or two in all their lives!”
    “Really, Darcourt. I can’t think your remarks are in the best of taste. If I didn’t know better I would think you had been at the spirit cabinet already,” Grand’mere said.
    “What you hear is relief that I am no longer the only member of this family not dressed like a specter of gloom.”
    “And so you have said countless times. You will not mind, I hope, if I point out to you that it still lacks a few days being a year since Felix passed away. But you cannot change convention to suit yourself, however much you may want to. Women of our station will continue to wear the willow in spite of you.”
    “I don’t doubt it, poor things. No doubt before long the death of the family cat will be enough to plunge everything into black!”
    As Darcourt touched a knuckle to his mustache there was such a gleam in his eye that it crossed Elizabeth’s mind that he was baiting the old lady. Grand’mere apparently suspected it also, for she turned away and somewhat stiffly complimented Celestine on her toilette.
    “If—if you don’t like it, Grand’mere, I would be most happy to go and change again. I would not want to do anything to displease you,” Celestine said in a low voice, glancing up at the stern face of the old lady through her eyelashes.
    “No, no. You must do just as you like. Felix was not a close connection, merely a fourth cousin, I believe. You have behaved with the greatest propriety in wearing black for so long,” Grand’mere replied, unbending.
    Celestine thanked her softly, smiling a little as she kept her eyes on her plate.
    Darcourt turned to Bernard, inviting him to go riding. Bernard refused but there followed a vigorous discussion of the merits of the various saddle horses in the stable. Elizabeth listened with interest until Darcourt noticed the light in her eyes.
    “Are you a rider?” he asked.
    She very nearly answered in the affirmative, hoping she would be invited to ride some of the magnificent sounding horses in the stables, but she remembered in time that Ellen had not been a rider. Ellen had never liked getting dirty and overheated, even before her bout with malaria, and then she had been advised to stay out of the sun. Quickly Elizabeth shook her head, summoning a deprecating smile.
    “Too bad. I had hoped for company,” Darcourt said, and then forgot her. But she found Bernard watching her, a tiny frown between his eyes.
    As the morning advanced the cloud cover burned away and the sun came out bright and golden. Drawn by its dazzling light and the fresh scent of spring from the new green growth, Elizabeth wandered out onto the front gallery and stood with her back against a pillar. The soaring height of the pillar and the upper