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THE EUROPEANS.
[CH.
"Go away, sister?" asked Charlotte.
"Away—away; to some strange country."
"That is to frighten you," said Felix, smiling at Charlotte.
"To—what do you call it?" asked Gertrude, turning an instant to Felix. "To Bohemia."
"Do you propose to dispense with preliminaries?" asked Mr. Wentworth, getting up.
"Dear uncle, vous plaisantez!" cried Felix. "It seems to me that these are preliminaries."
Gertrude turned to her father. "I have profited," she said. "You wanted to form my character. Well, my character is formed—for my age. I know what I want; I have