latter shock was nobody less than Kate Croy Kate
Croy who was suddenly also in the line of vision and
whose eyes met her eyes at their next movement.
Kate was but two yards off Mr. Densher wasn't
alone. Kate's face specifically said so, for after a
stare as blank at first as Milly's it broke into a far
smile. That was what, wonderfully in addition to
the marvel of their meeting passed from her for
Milly; the instant reduction to easy terms of the fact
of their being there, the two young women, together.
It was perhaps only afterwards that the girl fully
felt the connection between this touch and her al
ready established conviction that Kate was a prodig
ious person; yet on the spot she none the less, in a
degree, knew herself handled and again, as she had
been the night before, dealt with absolutely even
dealt with for her greater pleasure. A minute in
fine hadn't elapsed before Kate had somehow made
her provisionally take everything as natural. The
provisional was just the charm acquiring that char
acter from one moment to the other; it represented
happily so much that Kate would explain on the very
first chance. This left moreover and that was the
greatest wonder all due margin for amusement at
the way things happened, the monstrous oddity of
their turning up in such a place on the very heels of
their having separated without allusion to it. The
handsome girl was thus literally in control of the
scene by the time Merton Densher was ready to ex
claim with a high flush, or a vivid blush one didn't

[[320]]

p319 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p320w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p321

v?