A false friend

"The painter left? Perhaps he returned to his hometown," Aunt commented casually at the dinner table that evening. "Anyway, you''re reaching the age, shouldn''t be running off there all the time anymore. When you get a bit older, people will start gossiping."

"Mother is right, Edith. You should find other ways to entertain yourself. Margot will help you," Cousin Philippe attempted to console this poor girl.

Margot sympathized with her sister and tacitly offered Edith their bedroom for solitude after dinner.

That night, the young girl flung herself onto the bed and buried her face in the pillow. "Traitor! A false friend! No, I don''t even recognize him as my friend!"

She didn''t cry, only her words were filled with tears.

The following year, the family moved to Paris.