Alexandra had never heard Marie speak so frankly about her husband before, and she felt that it was wiser not to encourage her. No good, she reasoned, ever came from talking about such things, and while Marie was thinking aloud, Alexandra had been steadily searching the hat-boxes. "Aren't these the patterns,Maria?"
Maria sprang up from the floor. "Sure enough, we were looking for patterns, weren't we? I'd forgot about everything but frank's other wife. I'll put that away."