第4章
"Never，never，dearlady。WhyshouldIcomeback？YoucanneverbeagainwhatyouHAVEbeen。Ishallhaveseenthelastofyou。"
"Oh！"shetouchinglyurged。
"Yes，forIshouldnextfindyousimplybroughttoself-
consciousness。You’llbeexactlywhatyouare，Icharitablyadmit——
nothingmoreorless，nothingdifferent。Butyou’llbeitallinadifferentway。Weliveinanageofprodigiousmachinery，allorganisedtoasingleend。Thatendispublicity——apublicityasferociousastheappetiteofacannibal。Thethingthereforeisnottohaveanyillusions——fondlytoflatteryourselfinamuddledmomentthatthecannibalwillspareyou。Hesparesnobody。Hesparesnothing。Itwillbeallright。You’llhavealovelytime。
You’llbeonlyjustapubliccharacter——blownabouttheworld’forallyou’reworth，’andproclaimed’forallyou’reworth’onthehouse-tops。ItwillbeforTHAT，mind，Iquiterecognise——becauseAddieissuperior——aswellasforallyouaren’t。Sogood-bye。"
Heremainedhowevertillthenextday，andnotedatintervalsthedifferentstagesoftheirfriend’sjourney;thehour，thistime，shewouldreallyhavestarted，thehourshe’dreachDover，thehourshe’dgettotown，whereshe’dalightatMrs。Dunn’s。Perhapsshe’dbringMrs。Dunn，forMrs。Dunnwouldswellthechorus。Atthelast，onthemorrow，asifinanticipationofthisstillnesssettledbetweenthem：hebecameassilentashishostess。Butbeforehewentshebroughtoutshylyandanxiously，asanappeal，thequestionthatforhourshadclearlybeengivingherthought。
"Doyoumeetherthento-nightinLondon？"
"Dearno。InwhatpositionamI，alas！todothat？WhencanI
EVERmeetheragain？"Hehadturneditallover。"IfIcouldmeetAddieafterthis，youknow，IcouldmeetYOU。AndifIdomeetAddie，"helucidlypursued，"whatwillhappenbythesamestrokeisthatISHALLmeetyou。Andthat’sjustwhatI’veexplainedtoyouIdread。"
"YoumeansheandIwillbeinseparable？"
Hehesitated。"Imeanshe’lltellmeallaboutyou。Icanhearherandherravingsnow。"
Shegaveagain——anditwasinfinitelysad——herlittlewhinnyinglaugh。"Ohbutifwhatyousayistrueyou’llknow。"
"AhbutAddiewon’t！Won’t，Imean，knowthat_I_know——oratleastwon’tbelieveit。Won’tbelievethatanyoneknows。Such，"
headdedwithastrangesmotheredsigh，"isAddie。Doyouknow，"
hewoundup，"thatwhat，afterall，hasmostdefinitelyhappenedisthatyou’vemademeseeherasI’veneverdonebefore？"
Sheblinkedandgasped，shewonderedanddespaired。"Ohno，itwillbeYOU。I’vehadnothingtodowithit。Everything’sallyou！"
Butforallitmatterednow！"You’llsee，"hesaid，"thatshe’scharming。Ishallgoforto-nighttoOxford。Ishallalmostcrossherontheway。"
"Thenifshe’scharmingwhatamItotellherfromyouinexplanationofsuchstrangebehaviourasyourflyingawayjustasshearrives？"
"Ahyouneedn’tmindaboutthat——youneedn’ttellheranything。"
Shefixedhimasifasneveragain。"It’snoneofmybusiness，ofcourseIfeel;butisn’titalittlecruelifyou’reengaged？"
Grangergavealaughalmostasoddasoneofherown。"Ohyou’vecostmethat！"——andheputouthishandtoher。
Shewonderedwhileshetookit。"Costyou——？"
"We’renotengaged。Good-bye。"
MRS。MEDWIN
CHAPTERI
"Well，weAREapair！"thepoorlady’svisitorbrokeouttoherattheendofherexplanationinamannerdisconcertingenough。ThepoorladywasMissCutter，wholivedinSouthAudleyStreet，whereshehadan"upperhalf"soconcisethatithadtopassboldlyforconvenient;andhervisitorwasherhalf-brother，whomshehadn’tseenforthreeyears。Shewasremarkableforamaturityofwhicheverysymptommighthavebeenobservedtobeadmirablycontrolled，hadnotatendencytostoutnessjustaffirmeditsindependence。
Herpresent，nodoubt，insistedtoomuchonherpast，butwiththeexcuse，sufficientlyvalid，thatshemustcertainlyoncehavebeenprettier。Shewasclearlynotcontentedwithonce——shewishedtobeprettieragain。Sheneglectednothingthatcouldproducethatillusion，and，beingbothfairandfat，dressedalmostwhollyinblack。Whensheaddedalittlecolouritwasnot，atanyrate，toherdrapery。Hersmallroomshadthepeculiaritythateverythingtheycontainedappearedtotestifywithvividnesstoherpositioninsociety，quiteasiftheyhadbeenfurnishedbythebountyofadmiringfriends。Theywereadornedindeedalmostexclusivelywithobjectsthatnobodybuys，ashadmorethanoncebeenremarkedbyspectatorsofherownsex，forherself，andwouldhavebeenluxuriousifluxuryconsistedmainlyinphotographicportraitsslashedacrosswithsignatures，inbasketsofflowersberibbonedwiththecardsofpassingcompatriots，andinaneatcollectionofredvolumes，bluevolumes，alphabeticalvolumes，aidstoLondonlucidity，ofeverysort，devotedtoaddressesandengagements。TobeinMissCutter’stinydrawing-room，inshort，evenwithMissCutteralone——shouldyoubyanychancehavefoundherso——wassomehowtobeintheworldandinacrowd。Itwaslikeanagency——
itbristledwithparticulars。
Thiswaswhatthetallleanloosegentlemanloungingtherebeforehermighthaveappearedtoreadinthesuggestivesceneoverwhich，whileshetalkedtohim，hiseyesmovedwithouthasteandwithoutrest。"Ohcome，Mamie！"heoccasionallythrewoff;andthewordswereevidentlyconnectedwiththeimpressionthusabsorbed。Hiscomparativeyouthspokeofwasteevenasherpositive——hertoopositive——spokeofeconomy。Therewasonlyonething，thatis，tomakeupinhimforeverythinghehadlost，thoughitwasdistinctenoughindeedthatthisthingmightsometimesserve。Itconsistedintheperfectionofanindifference，anindifferenceatthepresentmomentdirectedtotheplea——apleaofinability，ofpuredestitution——withwhichhissisterhadmethim。Yetithadevennowawiderembrace，tookinquitesufficientlyallconsequencesofqueerness，confessedinadvancetothefalsenotethat，insuchasetting，healmostexcruciatinglyconstituted。Hecaredaslittlethathelookedatmomentsallhisimpudenceasthathelookedallhisshabbiness，allhiscleverness，allhishistory。Thesedifferentthingswerewritteninhim——inhisprematurebaldness，hisseamedstrainedface，thelapsefrombraveryofhislongtawnymoustache;aboveallinhiseasyfriendlyuniversallyacquaintedeye，somuchtoosociableformereconversation。Whatpossiblerelationwithhimcouldbenaturalenoughtomeetit？HeworeascantroughInvernesscapeandapairofblacktrousers，wantinginsubstanceandmarkedwiththesheenoftime，thathadpresumablyonceservedforeveninguse。HespokewiththeslownesshelplesslypermittedtoAmericans——assomethingtooslowtobestopped——andherepeatedthathefoundhimselfassociatedwithMissCutterinaharmonycallingforwonder。Shehadbeentellinghimnotonlythatshecouldn’tpossiblygivehimtenpounds，butthathisunexpectedarrival，shouldheinsistonbeingmuchinview，mightseriouslyinterferewitharrangementsnecessarytoherownmaintenance;onwhichhehadbegunbyreplyingthatheofcourseknewshehadlongagospenthermoney，butthathelookedtohernowexactlybecauseshehad，withouttheaidofthatconvenience，masteredtheartoflife。
"I’dreallygoawaywithafiver，mydear，ifyou’donlytellmehowyoudoit。It’snousesayingonly，asyou’vealwayssaid，that’peopleareverykindtoyou。’WhatthedevilaretheykindtoyouFOR？"
"Well，onereasonispreciselythatnoparticularinconveniencehashithertobeensupposedtoattachtome。I’mjustwhatIam，"saidMamieCutter;"nothinglessandnothingmore。It’sawkwardtohavetoexplaintoyou，whichmoreoverIreallyneedn’tintheleast。
I’mcleverandamusingandcharming。"Shewasuneasyandevenfrightened，butshekepthertemperandmethimwithagraceofherown。"Idon’tthinkyououghttoaskmemorequestionsthanIaskyou。"
"Ahmydear，"saidtheoddyoungman，"I’VEnomysteries。Whyintheworld，sinceitwaswhatyoucameoutforandhavedevotedsomuchofyourtimeto，haven’tyoupulleditoff？Whyhaven’tyoumarried？"
"Whyhaven’tYOU？"sheretorted。"DoyouthinkthatifIhaditwouldhavebeenbetterforyou？——thatmyhusbandwouldforamomenthaveputupwithyou？Doyoumindmyaskingyouifyou’llkindlygoNOW？"shewentonafteraglanceattheclock。"I’mexpectingafriend，whomImustseealone，onamatterofgreatimportance——"
"Andmybeingseenwithyoumaycompromiseyourrespectabilityorundermineyournerve？"Hesprawledimperturbablyinhisplace，crossingagain，inanothersense，hislongblacklegsandshowing，abovehislowshoes，anabsurdreachofparti-colouredsock。"I
takeyourpointwellenough，butmayn’tyoubeafterallquitewrong？Ifyoucan’tdoanythingformecouldn’tyouatleastdosomethingwithme？Ifitcomestothat，I’mcleverandamusingandcharmingtoo！I’vebeensuchanassthatyoudon’tappreciateme。
Butpeoplelikeme——Iassureyoutheydo。Theyusuallydon’tknowwhatanassI’vebeen;theyonlyseethesurface，which"——andhestretchedhimselfafreshasshelookedhimupanddown——"youCAN
imaginethem，can’tyou，rathertakenwith？I’M’whatIam’too;
nothinglessandnothingmore。That’strueofusasafamily，yousee。WeAREacrew！"Hedeliveredhimselfserenely。Hisvoicewassoftandflat，hispleasanteyes，hissimpletonestendingtothesolemn，achievedatmomentsthateffectofquaintnesswhichis，incertainconnexions，sociallysoknownandenjoyed。"Englishpeoplehavequiteaweaknessforme——morethananyothers。Igetonwiththembeautifully。I’vealwaysbeenwiththemabroad。Theythinkme，"theyoungmanexplained，"diabolicallyAmerican。"
"You！"Suchstupiditydrewfromherasighofcompassion。
Hercompanionapparentlyquiteunderstoodit。"Areyouhomesick，Mamie？"heasked，withwonderingirrelevance。
Themannerofthequestionmadeher，forsomereason，inspiteofherpreoccupations，breakintoalaugh。Ashadeofindulgence，asenseofotherthings，camebacktoher。"Youarefunny，Scott！"
"Well，"remarkedScott，"that’sjustwhatIclaim。ButAREyousohomesick？"hespaciouslyinquired，notastoapracticalend，butfromaneasyplayofintelligence。
"I’mjustdyingofit！"saidMamieCutter。
"WhysoamI！"Hervisitorhadasweetnessofconcurrence。
"We’retheonlydecentpeople，"MissCutterdeclared。"AndIknow。
Youdon’t——youcan’t;andIcan’texplain。Comein，"shecontinuedwithareturnofherimpatienceandanincreaseofherdecision，"atsevensharp。"
Shehadquittedherseatsometimebefore，andnow，togethimintomotion，hoveredbeforehimwhile，stillmotionless，helookedupather。Somethingintimate，inthesilence，appearedtopassbetweenthem——acommunityoffatigueandfailureand，afterall，ofintelligence。Therewasafinalcynicalhumourinit。Itdeterminedhim，inanycase，atlast，andheslowlyrose，takinginagainashestoodtherethetestimonyoftheroom。Hemighthavebeencountingthephotographs，buthelookedattheflowerswithdetachment。"Who’scoming？"
"Mrs。Medwin。"
"American？"
"Dearno！"
"Thenwhatareyoudoingforher？"
"Iworkforeveryone，"shepromptlyreturned。
"Foreveryonewhopays？SoIsuppose。Yetisn’titonlywewhodopay？"
Therewasadrollery，notlostonher，inthewayhisqueerpresencelentitselftohisemphasisedplural。
"DoyouconsiderthatYOUdo？"
"Atthis，withhisdeliberation，hecamebacktohischarmingidea。
"Onlytryme，andseeifIcan’tbeMADEto。Workmein。"Onhersharplypresentingherbackhestaredalittleattheclock。"IfI
comeatsevenmayIstaytodinner？"
Itbroughtherroundagain。"Impossible。I’mdiningout。"
"Withwhom？"
Shehadtothink。"WithLordConsidine。"
"Ohmyeye！"Scottexclaimed。
Shelookedathimgloomily。"IsTHATsortoftonewhatmakesyoupay？Ithinkyoumightunderstand，"shewenton，"thatifyou’retospongeonmesuccessfullyyoumustn’truinme。ImusthaveSOME
remoteresemblancetoalady。"
"Yes？Butwhymust_I_？"Herexasperatedsilencewasfullofanswers，ofwhichhoweverhisinimitablemannertooknoaccount。
"Youdon’tunderstandmyrealstrength;Idoubtifyouevenunderstandyourown。You’reclever，Mamie，butyou’renotsocleverasIsupposed。However，"hepursued，"it’soutofMrs。
Medwinthatyou’llgetit。"
"Getwhat？"
"Whythechequethatwillenableyoutoassistme。"
Onthis，foramoment，shemethiseyes。"Ifyou’llcomebackatsevensharp——notaminutebefore，andnotaminuteafter，I’llgiveyoutwofive-poundnotes。"
Hethoughtitover。"Whomareyouexpectingaminuteafter？"
Itsenthertothewindowwithagroanalmostofanguish，andsheanswerednothingtillshehadlookedatthestreet。"Ifyouinjureme，youknow，Scott，you’llbesorry。"
"Iwouldn’tinjureyoufortheworld。WhatIwanttodoinfactisreallytohelpyou，andIpromiseyouthatIwon’tleaveyou——bywhichImeanwon’tleaveLondon——tillI’veeffectedsomethingreallypleasantforyou。Ilikeyou，Mamie，becauseIlikepluck;
Ilikeyoumuchmorethanyoulikeme。Ilikeyouvery，VERY
much。"Hehadatlastwiththisreachedthedoorandopenedit，butheremainedwithhishandonthelatch。"WhatdoesMrs。Medwinwantofyou？"hethusbroughtout。
Shehadcomeroundtoseehimdisappear，andinthereliefofthisprospectsheagainjustindulgedhim。
"Theimpossible。"
Hewaitedanotherminute。"Andyou’regoingtodoit？"
"I’mgoingtodoit，"saidMamieCutter。
"Wellthenthatoughttobeahaul。CallitTHREEfivers！"helaughed。"Atsevensharp。"Andatlastheleftheralone。
CHAPTERII
MissCutterwaitedtillsheheardthehouse-doorclose;afterwhich，inasightlessmechanicalway，shemovedabouttheroomreadjustingvariousobjectshehadnottouched。Itwasasifhismerevoiceandaccenthadspoiledherform。Butshewasnotlefttoolongtoreckonwiththesethings，forMrs。Medwinwaspromptlyannounced。Thisladywasnot，morethanherhostess，inthefirstflushofheryouth;herappearance——thescatteredremainsofbeautymanipulatedbytaste——resembledoneofthelightrepastsinwhichthefragmentsofyesterday’sdinnerfigurewithaconsciouseasethatmakesupforthewantofpresence。Shewasperhapsofaneffectstilltooimmediatetobecalledinteresting，butshewascandid，gentleandsurprised——notfatiguinglysurprised，onlyjustintherightdegree;andherwhiteface——itwastoowhite——withthefixedeyes，thesomewhattouzledhairandtheLouisSeizehat，mightattheendoftheverylongneckhavesuggestedtheheadofaprincesscarriedonapikeinarevolution。Sheimmediatelytookupthebusinessthathadbroughther，withtheairhoweverofdrawingfromtheomensthendiscerniblelessconfidencethanshehadhoped。ThecomplicationlayinthefactthatifitwasMamie’sparttopresenttheomens，thatladyyethadsotocolourthemastomakeherownservicelarge。Sheperhapsover-coloured;forherfriendgavewaytomomentarydespair。
"Whatyoumeanisthenthatit’ssimplyimpossible？"
"Ohno，"saidMamiewithaqualifiedemphasis。"It’sPOSSIBLE。"
"Butdisgustinglydifficult？"
"Asdifficultasyoulike。"
"ThenwhatcanIdothatIhaven’tdone？"
"Youcanonlywaitalittlelonger。"
"Butthat’sjustwhatIHAVEdone。I’vedonenothingelse。I’malwayswaitingalittlelonger！"
MissCutterretained，inspiteofthispathos，hergraspofthesubject。"THEthing，asI’vetoldyou，isforyoufirsttobeseen。"
"Butifpeoplewon’tlookatme？"
"Theywill。"
"TheyWILL？"Mrs。Medwinwaseager。
"Theyshall，"herhostesswenton。"It’stheironlyhavingheard——
withouthavingseen。"’
"Butiftheystarestraighttheotherway？"Mrs。Medwincontinuedtoobject。"Youcan’tsimplygouptothemandtwisttheirheadsabout。"
"It’sjustwhatIcan，"saidMamieCutter。
Buthercharmingvisitor，heedlessforthemomentofthisattenuation，hadfoundthewaytoputit。"It’stheoldstory。
Youcan’tgointothewatertillyouswim，andyoucan’tswimtillyougointothewater。Ican’tbespokentotillI’mseen，butI
can’tbeseentillI’mspokento。"
Shemetthislucidity，MissCutter，withbutaninstant’slapse。
"YousayIcan’ttwisttheirheadsabout。ButIHAVEtwistedthem。"
Ithadbeenquietlyproduced，butitgavehercompanionajerk。
"Theysay’Yes’？"
Shesummeditup。"Allbutone。SHEsays’No。’"
Mrs。Medwinthought;thenjumped。"LadyWantridge？"
MissCutter，asmoredelicate，onlybowedadmission。"Ishallseehereitherthisafternoonorlateto-morrow。Butshehaswritten。"
Hervisitorwonderedagain。"MayIseeherletter？"
"No。"Shespokewithdecision。"ButIshallsquareher。"
"Thenhow？"
"Well"——andMissCutter，asiflookingupwardforinspiration，fixedhereyesawhileontheceiling——"well，itwillcometome。"
Mrs。Medwinwatchedher——itwasimpressive。"Andwilltheycometoyou——theothers？"Thisquestiondrewoutthefactthattheywould——
sofaratleastastheyconsistedofLadyEdward，LadyBellhouseandMrs。Pouncer，whohadengagedtomuster，atthesignaloftea，onthe14th——prepared，asitwere，fortheworst。TherewasofcoursealwaysthechancethatLadyWantridgemighttakethefield，insuchforceastoparalysethem，thoughthatdanger，atthesametime，seemedinconsistentwithherbeingsquared。Itdidn’tperhapsallquiteideallyhangtogether;butwhatitsufficientlycametowasthatifshewastheonewhocoulddomostFORapersoninMrs。Medwin’spositionshewasalsotheonewhocoulddomostagainst。Itwouldthereforebedistinctlywhatourfriendfamiliarlyspokeofas"collar-work。"TheeffectofthesemixedconsiderationswasatanyratethatMamieeventuallyacquiescedintheidea，handsomelythrownoutbyherclient，thatsheshouldhavean"advance"togoonwith。MissCutterconfessedthatitseemedattimesasifonescarceCOULDgoon;buttheadvancewas，inspiteofthisdelicacy，stillmoredelicatelymade——madeintheformofabanknote，severalsovereigns，someloosesilver，andtwocoppers，thewholecontentsofherpurse，neatlydisposedbyMrs。
Medwinononeofthetinytables。Itseemedtocleartheairfordeeperintimacies，thefruitofwhichwasthatMamie，lonelyafterallinhercrowdandalwaysmorehelpfulthanhelped，eventuallybroughtoutthatthewayScotthadbeengoingonwaswhatseemedmomentarilytoovershadowherownpowertodoso。
"I’vehadadescentfromhim。"Butshehadtoexplain。"Myhalf-
brother——ScottHomer。Awretch。"
"Whatkindofawretch？"
"Everykind。Ilosesightofhimattimes——hedisappearsabroad。
Buthealwaysturnsupagain，worsethanever。"
"Violent？"
"No。"
"Maudlin？"
"No。"
"Onlyunpleasant？"
"No。Ratherpleasant。Awfullyclever——awfullytravelledandeasy。"
"Thenwhat’sthematterwithhim？"
Mamiemused，hesitated——seemedtoseeawidepast。"Idon’tknow。"
"Somethinginthebackground？"Thenasherfriendwassilent，"Somethingqueeraboutcards？"Mrs。Medwinthrewoff。
"Idon’tknow——andIdon’twantto！"
"Ahwell，I’msure_I_don’t，"Mrs。Medwinreturnedwithspirit。
Thenoteofsharpnesswasperhapsalsoalittleintheobservationshemadeasshegatheredherselftogo。"Doyoumindmysayingsomething？"
Mamietookhereyesquicklyfromthemoneyonthelittlestand。
"Youmaysaywhatyoulike。"
"Ionlymeanthatanythingawkwardyoumayhavetokeepoutofthewaydoesseemtomakemorewonderful，doesn’tit，thatyoushouldhavegotjustwhereyouare？Iallude，youknow，toyourposition。"
"Isee。"MissCuttersomewhatcoldlysmiled。"Tomypower。"
"SoawfullyremarkableinanAmerican。"
"Ahyoulikeusso。"
Mrs。Medwincandidlyconsidered。"Butwedon’t，dearest。"
Hercompanion’ssmilebrightened。"Thenwhydoyoucometome？"
"OhIlikeYOU！"Mrs。Medwinmadeout。
"Thenthat’sit。Thereareno’Americans。’It’salways’you。’"
"Me？"Mrs。Medwinlookedlovely，butalittlemuddled。
"ME！"MamieCutterlaughed。"Butifyoulikeme，youdearthing，youcanjudgeifIlikeYOU。"Shegaveherakisstodismissher。
"I’llseeyouagainwhenI’veseenher。"
"LadyWantridge？Ihopeso，indeed。I’llturnuplateto-morrow，ifyoudon’tcatchmefirst。Hasitcometoyouyet？"thevisitor，nowatthedoor，wenton。
"No;butitwill。There’stime。"
"Ohalittlelesseveryday！"
MissCutterhadapproachedthetableandglancedagainatthegoldandsilverandthenote，notindeedabsolutelyoverlookingthetwocoppers。"Thebalance，"sheputit，"thedayafter？"
"Thatverynightifyoulike。"
"Thencountonme。"
"OhifIdidn’t——！"Butthedoorclosedonthedarkidea。
Yearninglythen，andonlywhenithaddoneso，MissCuttertookupthemoney。
Shewentoutwithittenminuteslater，and，thecallsonhertimebeingmany，remainedoutsolongthatathalf-pastsixshehadn’tcomeback。Atthathour，ontheotherhand，ScottHomerknockedatherdoor，wherehermaid，whoopeneditwithaweakpretenceofholdingitfirm，venturedtoannouncetohim，asalessonwelllearnt，thathehadn’tbeenexpectedtillseven。Nolesson，nonetheless，couldprevailagainsthisnativeart。Hepleadedfatigue，her，themaid’s，dreadfuldepressingLondon，andtheneedtocurlupsomewhere。Ifshe’djustleavehimquiethalfanhourthatoldsofaupstairswoulddoforit;ofwhichhetookquicklysucheffectualpossessionthatwhenfiveminuteslatershepeeped，nervousforherbrokenvow，intothedrawing-room，thefaithlessyoungwomanfoundhimextendedathislengthandpeacefullyasleep。
CHAPTERIII
ThesituationbeforeMissCutter’sreturndevelopedinotherdirectionsstill，andwhenthateventtookplace，atafewminutespastseven，thesecircumstanceswere，bythefootofthestair，betweenmistressandmaid，thesubjectofsomeinterrogativegaspsandscaredadmissions。LadyWantridgehadarrivedshortlyaftertheinterloper，andwishing，asshesaid，towait，hadgonestraightupinspiteofbeingtoldhewaslyingdown。
"Shedistinctlyunderstoodhewasthere？"
"Ohyesma’am;Ithoughtitrighttomention。"
"Andwhatdidyoucallhim？"
"Well，ma’am，IthoughtitunfairtoYOUtocallhimanythingbutagentleman。"
Mamietookitallin，thoughtheremightwellbemoreofitthanonecouldquicklyembrace。"Butifshehashadtime，"sheflashed，"tofindoutheisn’tone？"
"Ohma’am，shehadaquarterofanhour。"
"Thensheisn’twithhimstill？"
"Noma’am;shecamedownagainatlast。Sherang，andIsawherhere，andshesaidshewouldn’twaitlonger。"
MissCutterdarklymused。"Yethadalreadywaited——？"
"Quiteaquarter。"
"Mercyonus！"Shebegantomount。BeforereachingthetophowevershehadreflectedthatquiteaquarterwaslongifLadyWantridgehadonlybeenshocked。Ontheotherhanditwasshortifshehadonlybeenpleased。ButhowCOULDshehavebeenpleased？
Theveryessenceoftheiractualcrisiswasjustthattherewasnopleasingher。Mamiehadbuttoopenthedrawing-roomdoorindeedtoperceivethatthiswasnottrueatleastofScottHomer，whowashorriblycheerful。
MissCutterexpressedtoherbrotherwithoutreservehersenseoftheconstitutional，thebrutalselfishnessthathaddeterminedhismistimedreturn。Ithadtakenplace，inviolationoftheiragreement，exactlyatthemomentwhenitwasmostcrueltoherthatheshouldbethere，andifshemustnowcompletelywashherhandsofhimhehadonlyhimselftothank。Shehadcomeinflushedwithresentmentandforamomenthadbeenvoluble，butitwouldhavebeenstrikingthat，thoughthewayhereceivedhermighthaveseemedbuttoaggravate，itpresentlyjustifiedhimbycausingtheirrelationreallytotakeastride。Hehadtheartofconfoundingthosewhowouldquarrelwithhimbyreducingthemtothehumiliationofastirredcuriosity。
"WhatCOULDshehavemadeofyou？"Mamiedemanded。
"Mydeargirl，she’snotawomanwho’seagertomaketoomuchofanything——anything，Imean，thatwillpreventherfromdoingasshelikes，whatshetakesintoherhead。Ofcourse，"hecontinuedtoexplain，"ifit’ssomethingshedoesn’twanttodo，she’llmakeasmuchasMoses。"
Mamiewonderedifthatwasthewayhetalkedtohervisitor，butfeltobligedtoowntohisacuteness。ItwasanexactdescriptionofLadyWantridge，andshewasconsciousoftuckingitawayforfutureuseinacornerofhermiscellaneouslittlemind。Shewithheldhoweverallpresentacknowledgment，onlyaddressinghimanotherquestion。"Didyoureallygetonwithher？"
"Haveyoustilltolearn，darling——Ican’thelpagainputtingittoyou——thatIgetonwitheverybody？That’sjustwhatIdon’tseemabletodriveintoyou。OnlyseehowIgetonwithYOU。"
Shealmoststoodcorrected。"WhatImeanisofcoursewhether——"
"Whethershemadelovetome？Shyly，yet——orbecause——shamefully？
Shewouldcertainlyhavelikedawfullytostay。"
"Thenwhydidn’tshe？"
"Because，onaccountofsomeothermatter——andIcouldseeitwastrue——shehadn’ttime。Twentyminutes——shewashereless——wereallshecametogiveyou。Sodon’tbeafraidI’vefrightenedheraway。
She’llcomeback。"
Mamiethoughtitover。"Yetyoudidn’tgowithhertothedoor？"
"Shewouldn’tletme，andIknowwhentodowhatI’mtold——quiteasmuchaswhatI’mnottold。Shewantedtofindoutaboutme。I
meanfromyourlittlecreature;apearloffidelity，bytheway。"
"Butwhatonearthdidshecomeupfor？"Mamieagainfoundherselfappealing，andjustbythatfactshowingherneedofhelp。
"Becauseshealwaysgoesup。"Thenas，inthepresenceofthisrapidgeneralisation，tosaynothingofthatofsucharelativealtogether，MissCuttercouldonlyshowascomparativelyblank："I
meansheknowswhentogoupandwhentocomedown。Shehasinstincts;shedidn’tknowwhomyoumighthaveuphere。It’sakindofcomplimenttoyouanyway。WhyMamie，"Scottpursued，"youdon’tknowthecuriosityweanyofusinspire。Youwouldn’tbelievewhatI’veseen。Thebiggerbugstheyarethemorethey’reonthelookout。"
Mamiestillfollowed，butatadistance。"Thelookoutforwhat？"
"Whyforanythingthatwillhelpthemtolive。You’vebeenhereallthistimewithoutmakingoutthen，aboutthem，whatI’vehadtopickoutasIcan？They’redead，don’tyousee？AndWE’REalive。"
"You？Oh！"——Mamiealmostlaughedaboutit。
"Well，they’reaworn-outoldlotanyhow;they’veuseduptheirresources。TheydolookoutandI’lldothemthejusticetosaythey’renotafraid——notevenofme！"hecontinuedashissisteragainshowedsomethingofthesameirony。"LadyWantridgeatanyratewasn’t;that’swhatImeanbyherhavingmadelovetome。Shedoeswhatshelikes。Mindit，youknow。"Hewasbythistimefairlyteachinghertoreadoneofherbestfriends，andwhen，afterit，hehadcomebacktothegreatpointofhislesson——thatofherfailure，throughfeminineinferiority，practicallytograspthetruththattheirbeingjustastheywere，heandshe，wastherealcardforthemtoplay——whenhehadrenewedthatreminderheleftherabsolutelyinastateofdependence。HerimpulsetopresshimonthesubjectofLadyWantridgedropped;itwasasifshehadfeltthat，whateverhadtakenplace，somethingwouldsomehowcomeofit。Shewastobeinamannerdisappointed，buttheimpressionhelpedtokeepherovertothenextmorning，when，asScotthadforetold，hisnewacquaintancedidreappear，explainingtoMissCutterthatshehadactedthedaybeforetogaintimeandthatsheevennowsoughttogainitbynotwaitinglonger。What，shepromptlyintimatedshehadaskedherself，couldthatfriendbethinkingof？Shemustshowwhereshestoodbeforethingshadgonetoofar。Ifshehadbroughtheranswerwithoutmoredelayshewishedmakeitsharp。Mrs。Medwin？Never！"No，mydear——notI。
THEREIstop。"
Mamiehadknownitwouldbe"collar-work，"butsomehownow，atthebeginningshefeltherheartsink。Itwasnotthatshehadexpectedtocarrythepositionwitharush，butthat，asalwaysafteraninterval，hervisitor’sdefencesreallyloomed——andquite，asitwere，tothematerialvision——toolarge。Shewasalwaysplantedwiththem，voluminous，intheverycentreofthepassage;
waslikeapersonaccommodatedwithachairinsomeunlawfulplaceatthetheatre。Shewouldn’tmoveandyoucouldn’tgetround。
Mamie’scalculationindeedhadnotbeenongettinground;shewasobligedtorecognisethat，toofoolishlyandfondly，shehaddreamedofinducingasurrender。Herdreamhadbeenthefruitofherneed;but，consciousthatshewasevenyetunequippedforpressure，shefelt，almostforthefirsttimeinherlife，superficialandcrude。Shewastobepaid——butwithwhatwasshe，tothatend，topay？Shehadengagedtofindananswertothisquestion，buttheanswerhadnot，accordingtoherpromise，"come。"
AndLadyWantridgemeanwhilemassedherself，andtherewasnoviewofherthatdidn’tshowherasverily，bysomeprocesstooobscuretobetraced，theharddepositoryofthesociallaw。Shewasnoyounger，nofresher，nostronger，really，thananyofthem;shewasonly，withakindofhaggardfineness，asharpenedtasteforlife，and，withallsortsofthingsbehindandbeneathher，moreabysmalandmoreimmoral，moresecureandmoreimpertinent。Thepointsshemadeweretwoinnumber。Onewasthatsheabsolutelydeclined;theotherwasthatshequitedoubtedifMamieherselfhadmeasuredthejob。Thethingcouldn’tbedone。ButsayitCOULDbe;wasMamiequitethepersontodoit？TothisMissCutter，withasweetsmile，repliedthatshequiteunderstoodhowlittleshemightseemso。"I’monlyoneofthepersonstowhomithasappearedthatYOU
are。"
"Thenwhoaretheothers？"
"Well，tobeginwith，LadyEdward，LadyBellhouseandMrs。
Pouncer。"
"Doyoumeanthatthey’llcometomeether？"
"I’veseenthem，andthey’vepromised。"
"Tocome，ofcourse，"LadyWantridgesaid，"if_I_come。"
Herhostesscastabout。"Ohofcourseyoucouldpreventthem。ButIshouldtakeitasawfullykindofyounotto。WON’Tyoudothisforme？"Mamiepleaded。
HerfriendlookedovertheroomverymuchasScotthaddone。"Dotheyreallyunderstandwhatit’sFOR？"
"Perfectly。Sothatshemaycall。"
"Andwhatgoodwillthatdoher？"
MissCutterfaltered，butshepresentlybroughtitout。"Naturallywhatonehopesisthat，you’llaskher。"
"Askhertocall？"
"Askhertodine。Askher，ifyou’dbesotrulysweet，foraSunday;orsomethingofthatsort，andevenifonlyinoneofyourMOSTmixedparties，toCatchmore。"
MissCutterfeltthelesshopefulafterthiseffortinthathercompaniononlyshowedastrangegoodnature。Anditwasn’tasatiricamiability，thoughitWASamusement。"TakeMrs。Medwinintomyfamily？"
"Somedaywhenyou’retakingfortyothers。"
"AhbutwhatIdon’tseeiswhatitdoesforYOU。You’realreadysowelcomeamongusthatyoucanscarcelyimproveyourpositionevenbyformingforusthemostdelightfulrelation。"
"Well，Iknowhowdearyouare，"MamieCutterreplied;"butonehasafterallmorethanonesideandmorethanonesympathy。Ilikeher，youknow。"AndevenatthisLadyWantridgewasn’tshocked;
sheshowedthateaseandblandnesswhichwereherway，unfortunately，ofbeingmostimpossible。SheremarkedthatSHE
mightlistentosuchthings，becauseshewascleverenoughforthemnottomatter;onlyMamieshouldtakecarehowshewentaboutsayingthematlarge。Whenshebecamedefinitehowever，inaminute，onthesubjectofthepublicfacts，MissCuttersoonfoundherselfreadytomakeherownconcession。Ofcourseshedidn’tdisputeTHEM：theretheywere;theywereunfortunatelyonrecord，and，nothingwastobedoneaboutthembutto——Mamiefounditintruthatthispointalittledifficult。
"Well，what？Pretendalreadytohaveforgottenthem？"
"Whynot，whenyou’vedoneitinsomanyothercases？"
"ThereAREnoothercasessobad。Onemeetsthematanyrateastheycome。Someyoucanmanage，othersyoucan’t。It’snouse，youmustgivethemup。They’repastpatching;there’snothingtobedonewiththem。There’snothingaccordinglytobedonewithMrs。Medwinbuttoputheroff。"AndLadyWantridgerosetoherheight。
"Well，youknow，IDOdothings，"Mamiequaveredwithasmilesostrainedthatitpartookofexaltation。
"Youhelppeople？Ohyes，I’veknownyoutodowonders。Butstick，"saidLadyWantridgewithstrongandcheerfulemphasis，"toyourAmericans！"
MissCutter，gazing，gotup。"Youdon’tdojustice，LadyWantridge，toyourowncompatriots。Someofthemarereallycharming。Besides，"saidMamie，"workingformineoftenstrikesme，sofarastheinterest——theinspirationandexcitement，don’tyouknow？——go，asrathertooeasy。Youall，asIconstantlyhaveoccasiontosay，likeusso！"
Hercompanionfranklyweighedit。"Yes;ittakesthattoaccountforyourposition。I’vealwaysthoughtofyouneverthelessaskeepingfortheirbenefitaregularworkingagency。Theycometoyou，andyouplacethem。Thereremains，Iconfess，"herladyshipwentoninthesamefreespirit，"thegreatwonder——"
"OfhowIfirstplacedmypoorlittleself？Yes，"Mamiebravelyconceded，"when_I_begantherewasnoagency。Ijustworkedmypassage。Ididn’tevencometoYOU，didI？Younevernoticedmetill，asMrs。ShortStokessays，’Iwas’way，’wayup！’Mrs。
Medwin，"shethrewin，"can’tgetoverit。"Then，asherfriendlookedvague："Overmysocialsituation。"
"Well，it’snogreatflatterytoyoutosay，"LadyWantridgegood-
humouredlyreturned，"thatshecertainlycan’thopeforoneresemblingit。"Yetitreallyseemedtospreadtherebeforethem。
"YousimplyMADEMrs。ShortStokes。"
"Inspiteofhername！"Mamiesmiled。
"Ohyour’names’——！Inspiteofeverything。"
"AhI’msomethingofanartist。"Withwhich，andarelapsemarkedbyherwistfuleyesintothegravityofthematter，shesupremelyfixedherfriend。Shefelthowlittleshemindedbetrayingatlasttheextremityofherneed，anditwasoutofthisextremitythatherappealproceeded。"HaveIreallyhadyourlastword？Itmeanssomuchtome。"
LadyWantridgecamestraighttothepoint。"Youmeanyoudependonit？"
"Awfully！"
"Isitallyouhave？"
"All。Now。"
"ButMrs。ShortStokesandtheothers——’rolling，’aren’tthey？
Don’ttheypayup？"
"Ah，"sighedMamie，"ifitwasn’tforTHEM——！"
LadyWantridgeperceived。"You’vehadsomuch？"
"Icouldn’thavegoneon。"
"Thenwhatdoyoudowithitall？"
"Ohmostofitgoesbacktothem。Thereareallsorts，andit’sallhelp。Someofthemhavenothing。"
"Ohifyoufeedthehungry，"LadyWantridgelaughed，"you’reindeedinagreatwayofbusiness。IsMrs。Medwin"——hertransitionwasimmediate——"reallyrich？"
"Really。Helefthereverything。"
"SothatifIdosay’yes’——"
"Itwillquitesetmeup。"
"Isee——andhowmuchmoreresponsibleitmakesone！ButI’drathermyselfgiveyouthemoney。"
"Oh！"Mamiecoldlymurmured。
"YoumeanImayn’tsuspectyourprices？Well，IdaresayIdon’t！
ButI’drathergiveyoutenpounds。"
"Oh！"Mamierepeatedinatonethatsufficientlycoveredherprices。Thequestionwasineverywaylarger。"Doyouneverforgive？"shereproachfullyinquired。ThedooropenedhoweveratthemomentshespokeandScottHomerpresentedhimself。
CHAPTERIV
ScottHomerworeexactly，tohissister’seyes，theaspecthehadwornthedaybefore，anditalsoformedtohersensethegreatfeatureofhisimpartialgreeting。
"Howd’yedo，Mamie？Howd’yedo，LadyWantridge？"
"Howd’yedoagain？"LadyWantridgerepliedwithanequanimitystrikingtoherhostess。ItwasasifScott’sownhadbeencontagious;itwasalmostindeedasifshehadseenhimbefore。
Hadsheeversoseenhim——beforethepreviousday？WhileMissCutterputtoherselfthisquestionhervisitoratalleventsmettheoneshehadpreviouslyuttered。"Ever’forgive’？"thispersonageechoedinatonethatmadeaslittleaccountaspossibleoftheinterruption。"Dearyes！ThepeopleIHAVEforgiven！"Shelaughed——perhapsalittlenervously;andshewasnowlookingatScott。Thewayshelookedathimwaspreciselywhathadalreadyhaditseffectforhissister。"ThepeopleIcan！"
"Canyouforgiveme？"askedScottHomer。
Shetookitsoeasily。"But——what？"
Mamieinterposed;sheturneddirectlytoherbrother。"Don’ttryher。Leaveitso。"Shehadhadaninspiration，itwasthemostextraordinarythingintheworld。"Don’ttryHIM"——shehadturnedtotheircompanion。Shelookedgrave，sad，strange。"Leaveitso。"Yes，itwasadistinctinspiration，whichshecouldn’thaveexplained，butwhichhadcome，promptedbysomethingshehadcaught——theextentoftherecognitionexpressed——inLadyWantridge’sface。Ithadcomeabsolutelyofasudden，straightoutoftheoppositionofthetwofiguresbeforeher——quiteasifaconcussionhadstruckalight。Thelightwashelpedbyherquickenedsensethatherfriend’ssilenceontheincidentofthedaybeforeshowedsomesortofconsciousness。Shelookedsurprised。"Doyouknowmybrother？"
"DOIknowyou？"LadyWantridgeaskedofhim。
"No，LadyWantridge，"Scottpleasantlyconfessed，"notonelittlemite！"
"WellthenifyouMUSTgo——"andMamieofferedherahand。"ButI’llgodownwithyou。NOTYOU！"shelaunchedatherbrother，whoimmediatelyeffacedhimself。Hiswayofdoingso——andhehadalreadydoneso，asforLadyWantridge，inrespecttotheirpreviousencounter——struckherevenatthemomentasaninstinctiveifslightlyblindtributetoherpossessionofanidea;andassuch，initscelerity，madehersoadmirehim，andtheircommonwit，thatsheonthespotmorethanforgavehimhisqueerness。Hewasright。Hecouldbeasqueerasheliked！Thequeererthebetter！Itwasatthefootofthestairs，whenshehadgotherguestdown，thatwhatshehadassuredMrs。Medwinwouldcomedidindeedcome。"DIDyoumeethimhereyesterday？"
"Dearyes。Isn’thetoofunny？"
"Yes，"saidMamiegloomily。"HeISfunny。Buthadyouevermethimbefore？"
"Dearno！"
"Oh！"——andMamie’stonemighthavemeantmanythings。
LadyWantridgehowever，afterall，easilyoverlookedit。"IonlyknewhewasoneofyouroddAmericans。That’swhy，whenIheardyesterdayherethathewasupthereawaitingyourreturn，Ididn’tletthatpreventme。Ithoughthemightbe。Hecertainly，"herladyshiplaughed，"IS。"
"Yes，he’sveryAmerican，"Mamiewentoninthesameway。
"Asyousay，weAREfondofyou！Good-bye，"saidLadyWantridge。
ButMamiehadnothalfdonewithher。Shefeltmoreandmore——orshehopedatleast——thatshelookedstrange。SheWAS，nodoubt，ifitcametothat，strange。"LadyWantridge，"shealmostconvulsivelybrokeout，"Idon’tknowwhetheryou’llunderstandme，butIseemtofeelthatImustactwithyou——Idon’tknowwhattocallit！——responsibly。HeISmybrother。"
"Surely——andwhynot？"LadyWantridgestared。"He’stheimageofyou！"
"Thankyou！"——andMamiewasstrangerthanever。
"Ohhe’sgood-looking。He’shandsome，mydear。Oddly——butdistinctly！"Herladyshipwasfortreatingitmuchasajoke。
ButMamie，allsombre，wouldhavenoneofthis。Sheboldlygavehimup。"Ithinkhe’sawful。"
"Heisindeed——delightfully。AndwhereDOyougetyourwaysofsayingthings？Itisn’tanything——andthethingsaren’tanything。
Butit’ssodroll。"
"Don’tletyourself，allthesame，"Mamieconsistentlypursued，"becarriedawaybyit。Thethingcan’tbedone——simply。"
LadyWantridgewondered。"’Donesimply’？"
"Doneatall。"
"Butwhatcan’tbe？"
"Why，whatyoumightthink——fromhispleasantness。Whathespokeofyourdoingforhim。"
LadyWantridgerecalled。"Forgivinghim？"
"Heaskedyouifyoucouldn’t。Butyoucan’t。It’stoodreadfulforme，assoneararelation，tohave，loyally——loyallytoYOU——tosayit。Buthe’simpossible。"
Itwassoportentouslyproducedthatherladyshiphadsomehowtomeetit。"What’sthematterwithhim？"
"Idon’tknow。"
"Thenwhat’sthematterwithYOU？"LadyWantridgeinquired。
"It’sbecauseIWON’Tknow，"Mamie——notwithoutdignity——explained。
"Then_I_won’teither。"
"Precisely。Don’t。It’ssomething，"Mamiepursued，withsomeinconsequence，"that——somewhereorother，atsometimeorother——heappearstohavedone。Somethingthathasmadeadifferenceinhislife。"
"’Something’？"LadyWantridgeechoedagain。"Whatkindofthing？"
Mamielookedupatthelightabovethedoor，throughwhichtheLondonskywasdoublydim。"Ihaven’ttheleastidea。"
"Thenwhatkindofdifference？"
Mamie’sgazewasstillatthelight。"Thedifferenceyousee。"
LadyWantridge，ratherobligingly，seemedtoaskherselfwhatshesaw。"ButIdon’tseeany！Itseems，atleast，"sheadded，"suchanamusingone！Andhehassuchniceeyes。"
"OhDEAReyes！"Mamieconceded;butwithtoomuchsadness，forthemoment，abouttheconnexionsofthesubject，tosaymore。
Italmostforcedhercompanionafteraninstanttoproceed。"Doyoumeanhecan’tgohome？"
Sheweighedherresponsibility。"Ionlymakeout——more’sthepity！——thathedoesn’t。"
"Isitthensomethingtooterrible——？"
Shethoughtagain。"Idon’tknowwhat——formen——IStooterrible。"
"Wellthenasyoudon’tknowwhat’is’forwomeneither——good-bye！"
hervisitorlaughed。
Itpracticallywounduptheinterview;which，however，terminatingthusonaconsiderablestiroftheair，wastogiveMissCutterforseveraldaysthesenseofbeingmuchblownabout。Thedegreetowhich，tobeginwith，shehadbeendrawn——orperhapsratherpushed——
closertoScottwasmarkedinthebriefcolloquythatsheonherfriend’sdeparturehadwithhim。Hehadimmediatelysaidit。
"You’llseeifshedoesn’taskmedown！"
"Sosoon？"
"OhI’veknownthematplaces——atCannes，atPau，atShanghai——doitsoonerstill。Ialwaysknowwhentheywill。YouCAN’Tmakeouttheydon’tloveme！"Hespokealmostplaintively，asifhewishedshecould。
"ThenIdon’tseewhyithasn’tdoneyoumoregood。"
"WhyMamie，"hepatientlyreasoned，"whatmoregoodCOULDit？AsI
tellyou，"heexplained，"ithasjustbeenmylife。"
"Thenwhydoyoucometomeformoney？"
"Ohtheydon’tgivemeTHAT！"Scottreturned。
"Sothatitonlymeansthen，afterall，thatI，atthebest，mustkeepyouup？"
HefixedonhertheniceeyesLadyWantridgeadmired。"Doyoumeantotellmethatalready——atthisverymoment——I’mnotdistinctlykeepingyou？"
Shegavehimbackhislook。"WaittillsheHASaskedyou，andthen，"Mamieadded，"decline。"
Scott，nottoogrossly，wondered。"AsactingforYOU？"
Mamie’snextinjunctionwasanswerenough。"ButBEFORE——yes——
call。"
Hetookitin。"Call——butdecline。Good！"
"Therest，"shesaid，"Ileavetoyou。"AndsheleftitinfactwithsuchconfidencethatforacoupleofdaysshewasnotonlyconsciousofnoneedtogiveMrs。Medwinanotherturnofthescrew，butpositivelyevaded，inherfortitude，thereappearanceofthatlady。Itwasnottillthefourthdaythatshewaiteduponher，findingher，asshehadexpected，tense。
"LadyWantridgeWILL——？"
"Yes，thoughshesaysshewon’t。"
"Shesaysshewon’t？O-oh！"Mrs。Medwinmoaned。
"Sittightallthesame。IHAVEher！"
"Buthow？"
"ThroughScott——whomshewants。"
"Yourbadbrother！"Mrs。Medwinstared。"Whatdoesshewantofhim？"
"ToamusethematCatchmore。Anythingforthat。AndheWOULD。
Butheshan’t！"Mamiedeclared。"Heshan’tgounlessshecomes。
Shemustmeetyoufirst——you’remycondition。"
"O-o-oh！"Mrs。Medwin’stonewasawonderofhopeandfear。"Butdoesn’thewanttogo？"
"HewantswhatIwant。ShedrawsthelineatYOU。IdrawthelineatHIM。"
"ButSHE——doesn’tshemindthathe’sbad？"
ItwassoartlessthatMamielaughed。"No——itdoesn’ttouchher。
Besides，perhapsheisn’t。Itisn’tasforyou——peopleseemnottoknow。Hehassettledeverything，atallevents，bygoingtoseeher。It’sbeforeherthathe’sthethingshe’llhavetohave。"
"Haveto？"
"ForSundaysinthecountry。Afeature——THEfeature。"
"Soshehasaskedhim？"
"Yes——andhehasdeclined。"
"ForME？"Mrs。Medwinpanted。
"Forme，"saidMamieonthedoor-step。"ButIdon’tleavehimforlong。"Herhansomhadwaited。"She’llcome。"
LadyWantridgedidcome。ShemetinSouthAudleyStreet，onthefourteenth，attea，theladieswhomMamiehadnamedtoher，togetherwiththreeorfourothers，anditwasratheramaster-
strokeforMissCutterthatifMrs。MedwinwasmodestlypresentScottHomerwasasmarkedlynot。Thisoccasion，however，isamedalthatwouldtakerarecasting，aswouldalso，forthatmatter，eventheminorlightandshade，thelowerrelief，ofthepecuniarytransactionthatMrs。Medwin’sflushedgratitudescarceawaitedthedispersalofthecompanymunificentlytocomplete。Anewunderstandingindeedonthespotreboundedfromit，theconceptionofwhich，inMamie’smind，hadpromptlybloomed。"Heshan’tgonowunlesshetakesyou。"Then，asherfancyalwaysmovedquickerforherclientthanherclient’sown——"DownwithhimtoCatchmore！
WhenhegoestoamusethemYOU，"sheserenelydeveloped，"shallamusethemtoo。"Mrs。Medwin’sresponsewasagainratheroddlydivided，butshewassufficientlyintelligiblewhenitcametomeetingthehintthatthislatterprovisionwouldrepresentsuccesstothetuneofaseparatefee。"Say，"Mamiehadsuggested，"thesame。"
"Verywell;thesame。"
TheknowledgethatitwastobethesamehadperhapssomethingtodoalsowiththeobligingspiritinwhichScotteventuallywent。
Itwasallatthelastratherhurried——apartyrapidlygottogetherfortheGrandDuke，whowasinEnglandbutforthehour，whohadgood-naturedlyproposedhimself，andwholikedhispartiessmall，intimateandfunny。Thisonewasofthesmallestandwasfinallyjudgedtoconformneithertoolittlenortoomuchtotheotherconditions——afterabriefwhirlwindofwiresandcounterwires，andaniteratedwaitingofhansomsatvariousdoors——toincludeMrs。
Medwin。ItwasfromCatchmoreitselfthat，snatching，amoment——onthewondrousSundayafternoon，thisladyhadtheharmoniousthoughtofsendingthenewcheque。Shewasinblissenough，butherscribblenonethelessintimatedthatitwasScottwhoamusedthemmost。HeWASthefeature。