"They say," concluded Madame Vereaux, "that no one lives forever. But then, this heroine's state could hardly be described as living, so perhaps she still endures, drifting deeper into her delirium. As to her step-mother and suitor - well, he's only a man like any other, for all that the girl may imagine otherwise. The step-mother is clever. She will have her way."

There was silence for a moment, then Miss Sunnington could hold her complaint no longer. "But Genevieve, that's a dreadful story! The poor girl..."

"Most stories, with their pleasant resolutions, simply don't stand up to experience," she replied. "But it goes both ways - perhaps this story, too, is only a passing fancy. Take comfort in the thought, if it helps you." Her eyes had a distant, melancholy cast to them that betrayed the levity of her words.

"But-"

"Come now, there's no point in dwelling on it. The rest of the Museum awaits us."

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