way doomed; but above all it would prove how little
she had hitherto had to hold her up. If she was now
to be held up by the mere process since that was
perhaps on the cards of being let down, this would
only testify in turn to her queer little history. That
sense of loosely rattling had been no process at all;
and it was ridiculously true that her thus sitting there
to see her life put into the scales represented her first
approach to the taste of orderly living. Such was
Milly's romantic version that her life, especially by
the fact of this second interview, was put into the
scales; and just the best part of the relation estab
lished might have been, for that matter, that the
great grave charming man knew, had known at once,
that it was romantic, and in that measure allowed
for it. Her only doubt, her only fear, was whether
he perhaps wouldn't even take advantage of her be
ing a little romantic to treat her as romantic alto
gether. This doubtless was her danger with him;
but she should see, and dangers in general mean
while dropped and dropped.

The very place, at the end of a few minutes, the
commodious, " handsome " room, far back in the fine
old house, soundless from position, somewhat sallow
with years of celebrity, somewhat sombre even at
midsummer the very place put on for her a look of
custom and use, squared itself solidly round her as
with promises and certainties. She had come forth
to see the world, and this then was to be the world's
light, the rich dusk of a London " back," these the

[[259]]

p258 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p259w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p260

v?