thing bad. You re impossibly without sin, you
know."

Milly's eyes, on this, remained a little with their
companion s. " Ah, I shan't perhaps come up to
your idea. It's only to deceive Susan Shepherd."

"Oh! " said Kate as if this were indeed mild.

"But thoroughly as thoroughly as I can."

"And for cheating," Kate asked, " my powers
will contribute? Well, I ll do my best for you." In
accordance with which it was presently settled be
tween them that Milly should have the aid and com
fort of her presence for a visit to Sir Luke Strett.
Kate had needed a minute for enlightenment, and it
was quite grand for her comrade that this name
should have said nothing to her. To Milly herself
it had for some days been secretly saying much. The
personage in question was, as she explained, the
greatest of medical lights if she had got hold, as
she believed (and she had used to this end the wis
dom of the serpent) of the right, the special man.
She had written to him three days before, and he
had named her an hour, eleven-twenty; only it had
come to her, on the eve, that she couldn't go alone.
Her maid, on the other hand, wasn't good enough,
and Susie was too good. Kate had listened, above
all, with high indulgence. " And I'm betwixt and
between, happy thought! Too good for what?"

Milly thought. " Why, to be worried if it's noth
ing. And to be still more worried I mean before
she need be if it isn t."

[[248]]

p247 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p248w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p249

v?