self ever so delicately, so considerately, embraced;
not with familiarity or as a liberty taken, but almost
ceremonially and in the manner of an accolade; partly
as if, though a dove who could perch on a finger, one
were also a princess with whom forms were to be
observed. It even came to her, through the touch
of her companion's lips, that this form, this cool pres
sure, fairly sealed the sense of what Kate had just
said. It was moreover, for the girl, like an inspira
tion: she found herself accepting as the right one,
while she caught her breath with relief, the name so
given her. She met it on the instant as she would
have met the revealed truth; it lighted up the strange
dusk in which she lately had walked. That was
what was the matter with her. She was a dove.
Oh, wasn't she? it echoed within her as she became
aware of the sound, outside, of the return of their
friends. There was, the next thing, little enough
doubt about it after Aunt Maud had been two min
utes in the room. She had come up, Mrs. Lowder,
with Susan which she needn't have done, at that
hour, instead of letting Kate come down to her; so
that Milly could be quite sure it was to catch hold,
in some way, of the loose end they had left. Well,
the way she did catch was simply to make the point
that it didn't now in the least matter. She had
mounted the stairs for this, and she had her moment
again with her younger hostess while Kate, on the
spot, as the latter at the time noted, gave Susan
Shepherd unwonted opportunities. Kate was in

[[309]]

p308 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p309w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p310

v?