'My maid!' she cried. 'She
is looking for me. She passed the window without seeing me. Go,
please, and bring her back.' She continued pointing out of the door
and beckoning me with her other hand. There certainly was something
about that woman's tone which made one jump. When she was giving
orders you had no chance to think of anything else. So I rushed out
on my errand of mercy, and then rushed back again to ask what the
maid looked like.
"'In black,' she answered, rising and blocking the door of the
compartment. 'All in black, with a bonnet!'
"The train waited three minutes at Arles, and in that time I suppose
I must have rushed up to over twenty women and asked, 'Are you
Natalie?' The only reason I wasn't punched with an umbrella or handed
over to the police was that they probably thought I was crazy.
"When I jumped back into the compartment the Princess was seated
where I had left her, but her eyes were burning with happiness. She
placed her hand on my arm almost affectionately, and said, in a
hysterical way, 'You are very kind to me. I am so sorry to have
troubled you.'
"I protested that every woman on the platform was dressed in black.
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