"Oh doctors! " Milly said. " But I hope," she
added, " he didn't like me too much." Then as if
to escape a little from her friend's deeper sounding,
or as impatient for the carriage, not yet in sight, her
eyes, turning away, took in the great stale square.
As its staleness, however, was but that of London
fairly fatigued, the late hot London with its dance
all danced and its story all told, the air seemed a
thing of blurred pictures and mixed echoes, and an
impression met the sense an impression that broke,
the next moment, through the girl's tightened lips.
"Oh, it's a beautiful big world, and everyone, yes,
everyone! " It presently brought her back to
Kate, and she hoped she didn't actually look as much
as if she were crying as she must have looked to
Lord Mark among the portraits at Matcham.

Kate at all events understood. " Everyone wants
to be so nice?"

"So nice," said the grateful Milly.

"Oh," Kate laughed, "we ll pull you through!
And won't you now bring Mrs. Stringham?"

But Milly after an instant was again clear about
that. " Not till I ve seen him once more."

She was to have found this preference, two days
later, abundantly justified; and yet when, in prompt
accordance with what had passed between them, she
reappeared before her distinguished friend that
character having, for him, in the interval, built itself
up still higher the first thing he asked her was
whether she had been accompanied. She told him,

[[257]]

p256 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p257w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p258

v?