thus, in our young lady, made all for mere seeing and
taking is precisely one of the charms of our subject.
Milly had practically just learned from him, had
made out, as it were, from her rumbling compart
ment, that he gave her the highest place among their
friend's actual properties. She was a success, that
was what it came to, he presently assured her, and
that was what it was to be a success: it always hap
pened before one could know it. One's ignorance
was in fact often the greatest part of it. " You
haven't had time yet," he said; " this is nothing.
But you ll see. You ll see everything. You can,
you know -everything you dream of."

He made her more and more wonder; she almost
felt as if he were showing her visions while he spoke;
and strangely enough, though it was visions that had
drawn her on, she hadn't seen them in connection
that is in such preliminary and necessary connection
with such a face as Lord Mark s, such eyes and
such a voice, such a tone and such a manner. He
had for an instant the effect of making her ask her
self if she were after all going to be afraid; so dis
tinct was it for fifty seconds that a fear passed over
her. There they were again yes, certainly: Susie's
overture to Mrs. Lowder had been their joke, but
they had pressed in that gaiety an electric bell that
continued to sound. Positively, while she sat there,
she had the loud rattle in her ears, and she wondered,
during these moments, why the others didn't hear it.
They didn't stare, they didn't smile, and the fear in

[[175]]

p174 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p175w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p176

v?