ten minutes to
eleven
In the tempest of indignation which shook Gorka , the sudden appeal to innocent Alba appeared to him the last degree of cynicism . During the short space of time which elapsed between the departure of the footman and the arrival of the young girl , he only uttered these words , repeating them as he paced the floor , while his former mistress defied him with her bold gaze : `` I scorn you , I scorn you ; ah , how I scorn you ! '' Then , when he heard the door open : `` We will resume our conversation , Madame . '' `` When you wish , '' replied Countess Steno , and to her daughter , who entered , she said : `` You know the carriage is to come at ten minutes to eleven , and it is now the quarter . Are you ready ? '' `` You can see , '' replied the young girl , displaying her pearl-gray gloves , which she was just buttoning , while on her head a large hat of black tulle made a dark and transparent aureole around her fair head . Her delicate bust was displayed to advantage in the corsage Maitland had chosen for her portrait , a sort of cuirass of a dark-blue material , finished at the neck and wrists with bands of velvet of a darker shade .