at the same time that even if his silence had been
labyrinthe which was absurd in view of all the
other things too he couldn't possibly have spoken of
this was exactly what must suit her, since it fell
under the head of the plea she had just uttered to
Susie. These things, however, came and went, and
it set itself up between the companions, for the occa
sion, in the oddest way, both that their happening all
to know Mr. Densher except indeed that Susie
didn t, but probably would, was a fact belonging,
in a world of rushing about, to one of the common
orders of chance; and yet further that it was amus
ing oh, awfully amusing! to be able fondly to
hope that there was " something in " its having been
left to crop up with such suddenness. There seemed
somehow a possibility that the ground or, as it were,
the air might, in a manner, have undergone some
pleasing preparation; though the question of this
possibility would probably, after all, have taken some
threshing out. The truth, moreover and there
they were, already, our pair, talking about it, the
"truth! " had not in fact quite cropped out. This,
obviously, in view of Mrs. Lowder's request to her
old friend.

It was accordingly on Mrs. Lowder's recommen
dation that nothing should be said to Kate it was
on this rich attitude of Aunt Maud's that the idea
of an interesting complication might best hope to
perch; and when, in fact, after the colloquy we have
reported Milly saw Kate again without mentioning

[[208]]

p207 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p208w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p209

v?