“That seems so unjust,” said Sophie; “one doesn’t object to one’s mother having outshone one as a clever talker, but I must admit that I should be rather annoyed if my daughters talked brilliantly.”

“Well, none of them do,” said the Gräfin consolingly.

“I don’t know about that,” said the baroness, promptly veering round in defence of her offspring. “Elsa said something quite clever on Thursday about the Triple Alliance. Something about it being like a paper umbrella, that was all right as long as you didn’t take it out in the rain. It’s not everyone who could say that.”

“Everyone has said it; at least everyone that I know. But then I know very few people.”

“I don’t think you’re particularly agreeable today.”

“I never am. Haven’t you noticed that women with a really perfect profile like mine are seldom even moderately agreeable?”