CHAPTER XV 

Now that Gordon was gone, at any rate, gone for good, and not to return, he felt a sudden and singular sense of freedom. It was a feeling of unbounded expansion, quite out of proportion, as he said to himself, to any assignable cause. Everything suddenly appeared to have become very optional; but he was quite at a loss what to do with his liberty. It seemed a harmless use to make of it, in the afternoon, to go and pay another visit to the ladies who lived at the confectioner's. Here, however, he met a reception which introduced a fresh element of perplexity into the situation that Gordon had left behind him. The door was opened to him by Mrs. Vivian's maid-servant, a sturdy daughter of the Schwartzwald, who informed him that the ladies--with much regret--were unable to receive any one. 

"They are very busy--and they are ill," said the young woman, by way of explanation. 

Bernard was disappointed, and he felt like arguing the case. 

"Surely," he said, "they are not both ill and busy! When you make excuses, you should make them agree with each other." 

The Teutonic soubrette fixed her round blue eyes a minute upon the patch of blue sky revealed to her by her open door. 

"I say what I can, lieber Herr. It 's not my fault if I 'm not so clever as a French mamsell. One of the ladies is busy, the other is ill. There you have it." 

"Not quite," said Bernard. "You must remember that there are three of them."  QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. Who is not going to visit Bernard?
2. Who will Bernard not see?
3. Who is not going to be in Bernard's company?
Q2:
1. How does Bernard feel about not seeing the ladies?
2. What does Bernard think about not seeing the ladies?
3. What does Bernard think of being unable to meet the ladies?
Q3:
1. Does Bernard depart?
2. Does Bernard go somewhere else?
3. Does Bernard just go away?
Q4:
1. What does Bernard do?
2. What action does Bernard take?
3. What does Bernard set off doing?
Q5:
1. Who does Bernard present his case to?
2. With whom does Bernard argue his case?
3. Who listens to Bernard plead his case?
Q6:
1. Why can't the ladies see Bernard?
2. What is keeping the ladies from visiting Bernard?
3. What makes it impossible for the ladies to see Bernard?
Q7:
1. Does Bernard believe the ladies' excuses?
2. Does Bernard believe that the ladies are telling the truth?
3. In Bernard's view, are the ladies really unable to see him?
Q8:
1. 
2. 
3. 
Q9:
1. Whose intelligence does the maid compare her own to?
2. What does the maid servant compare her wits to?
3. Whose smarts does the maid servant liken her own to?
Q10:
1. Does Bernard think that the maid servant gave conflicting reasons?
2. Does Bernard feel that the maid servant's explanation doesn't make sense?
3. Does Bernard feel unsatisfied with the answer given by the maid servant?
