\"HaveyouboughtaDelkoff？\"LordDunholminquired。
\"IfIcouldhaveaffordedit，Ishouldhaveboughtone。\"
\"Ithinkthatwehavecomeherewiththeintentionofbuyingthree。WedidnotknowwerequiredthemuntilMissVanderpoelrecitedhalfapageofthecataloguetous。\"
\"Threewillmeana`rakeoff’offifteendollarstoG。
Selden，\"saidMountDunstan。Itwas，hesaw，necessarythatheshouldexplainthemeaningofa\"rakeoff，\"andhedidsotohiscompanion’sentertainment。
Theafternoonwasasatisfactoryone。TheywereallkindtoG。Selden，andheonhispartwasanaidtothem。Inhisinnocencehesteeredthreeofthem，atleast，throughnarrowplacesintoanopenseaofeasyintercourse。Thiswasagoodbeginning。Thejuniorassistantwasrecoveringrapidly，andlookedremarkablywell。Thedoctorhadtoldhimthathemighttrytousehisleg。TheinsidecabinofthecheapLinerand\"littleoldNewYork\"wereloomingupbeforehim。Butwhatluckhehadhad，andwhataholiday！Ithadbeenenoughtosetafellowupfortenyears’work。Itwouldsetuptheboysmerelytobetoldaboutit。Hedidn’tknowwhatHEhadeverdonetodeservesuchluckashadhappenedtohim。FortherestofhislifehewouldhewavingtheUnionJackalongsideoftheStarsandStripes。
Mr。Penzanceitwaswhosuggestedthatheshouldtrythestrengthofthelegnow。
\"Yes，\"MountDunstansaid。\"Letmehelpyou。\"
Asherosetogotohim，Westholtgood—naturedlygotupalso。Theytooktheirplacesateithersideofhisinvalidchairandassistedhimtoriseandstandonhisfeet。
\"It’sallright，gentlemen。It’sallright，\"hecalledoutwithadelightedflush，whenhefoundhimselfupright。\"I
believeIcouldstandalone。Thankyou。Thankyou。\"
Hewasable，leaningonMountDunstan’sarm，totakeafewsteps。Evidently，inashorttime，hewouldfindhimselfnolongerdisabled。
Mr。Penzancehadinvitedhimtospendaweekatthevicarage。Hewastodothisassoonashecouldcomfortablydrivefromtheoneplacetotheother。AfterreceivingtheinvitationhehadsentsecretlytoLondonforoneoftheDelkoffshehadbroughtwithhimfromAmericaasaspecimen。
Hecherishedinprivateaplanofgentlyentertaininghishostbyteachinghimtousethemachine。ThevicarwouldthusbepreparedforthatfutureinwhichsurelyaDelkoffmustinsomewayfallintohishands。Indeed，Fortunehavingatlengthcastaneyeonhimself，mightchancetofavourhimfurther，andintimehemightbeabletosenda\"high—
classmachine\"asagratefulgifttothevicarage。PerhapsMr。Penzancewouldacceptitbecausehewouldunderstandwhatitmeantoffeelingandappreciation。
DuringtheafternoonLordDunholmmanagedtotalkagooddealwithMountDunstan。Therewasnoairofintentioninhismanner，neverthelessintentionwasconcealedbeneathitscourteousamiability。Hewantedtogetattheman。Beforetheypartedhefelthehad，perhaps，learnedthingsopeningupnewpointsofview……
Inthesmoking—roomatDunholmthatnightheandhissontalkedoftheirchanceencounter。ItseemedpossiblethatmistakeshadbeenmadeaboutMountDunstan。Onedidnotformadefiniteideaofaman’scharacterinthecourseofanafternoon，buthehimselfhadbeenimpressedbyaconvictionthattherehadbeenmistakes。
\"Weareratherastiff—neckedlot——inthecountry——whenweallowourselvestobetakenpossessionofbyanidea，\"
Westholtcommented。
\"Iamnotatallproudofthewayinwhichwehavetakenthingsforgranted，\"washisfather’ssummingup。\"Itis，perhaps，worthobserving，\"takinghiscigarfromhismouthandsmilingattheendofit，asheremovedtheash，\"that，butforMissVanderpoelandG。Selden，wemightneverhavehadanopportunityoffacingthefactthatwemaynothavebeengivingfairplay。Andonehaspridedone’sselfonone’sfairplay。\"
CHAPTERXXX
ARETURN
Atthecloseofalong，warmafternoonBettyVanderpoelcameoutuponthesquarestoneterraceoverlookingthegardens，andthatpartoftheparkwhich，enclosingthem，causedthem，astheymeltedintoitsgreenness，tolosealllimitationsandappeartobeonlyamorebloomingbitofthelandscape。
UponthegardenBetty’seyesdwelt，asshestoodstillforsomeminutestakingintheireffectthoughtfully。
Kedgershadcertainlyaccomplishedmuch。Hisclose—
trimmedlawnsdidhimcredit，hisflowerbedswereflushedandazured，purpledandsnowedwithbloom。Sweettallspires，hungwithblueorwhiteorrosyflowerbells，liftedtheirheadsabovethecolouroflowergrowths。Onlytheferventaffection，thefastingandprayerofaKedgerscouldhavedonesuchwonderswithnewthingsandold。Theoldoneshehadcherishedandalluredintoarenewalofexistence——
thenewoneshehadsocoaxedoutoftheirearthenpotsintothesoil，luxuriouslypreparedfortheirreception，andhadafterwardssonourishedandbedewedwithsoftwaterings，sosupported，watchedoverandadoredthattheyhadbeenalmostunconsciousoftheirtransplanting。Withoutassistantshecouldhavedonenothing，buthehadbeengivenasufficientnumberofundergardeners，andhadevenmanagedtoinspirethemwithsomethingofhisownambitionandsolicitude。TheresultwasbeforeBetty’seyesinanaspectwhich，tosuchasknewthegardenswell，——theDunholms，forinstance，——wasastonishinginitssuccess。
\"I’vehadprivileges，miss，andsohavetheflowers，\"
Kedgershadsaidwarmly，whenMissVanderpoelhadreportedtohim，forhisencouragement，DunholmCastle’spraise。
\"Notoneof’emhaseverhadtowaitforhisfoodanddrink，nortocomplainofhisbednotbeingwhathewasaccustomedto。They’venothadtowaitforrain，forwe’vegivenitto’emfromwateringcans，and，thankgoodness，theseason’sbeenkindto’em。\"
Betty，descendingtheterracesteps，wandereddownthepathsbetweentheflowerbeds，glancingaboutherasshewent。Theairofneglectanddesolationhadbeensweptaway。ButtleandTimSoameshadbeengivenasmanyprivilegesasKedgers。Thechiefpointsimpresseduponthemhadbeenthattheworkmustbedone，notonlythoroughly，butquickly。Asmanyadditionalworkmenastheyrequired，asmuchsolidmaterialastheyneeded，buttheremustbeadespatchwhichatfirstitstaggeredthemtocontemplate。Theyhadnotknownsuchmethodsbefore。Theyhadbeenaccustomedtoworkundermoneylimitationthroughouttheirlives，and，whenworkmustbedonewithinsufficientaid，itmustbedoneslowly。Economyhadbeenthechieffactorinallcalculations，speedhadnotenteredintothem，soleisurelinesshadbecomeafixedhabit。ButitseemedAmericantosweepleisurelinessawayintospacewithafreegesture。
\"ItmustbedoneQUICKLY，\"MissVanderpoelhadsaid。
\"Iftenmencannotdoitquicklyenough，youmusthavetwenty——orasmanymoreasareneeded。Itistimewhichmustbesavedjustnow。\"
Timemorethanmoney，itappeared。Buttle’sexperiencehadbeenthatyoumighttaketime，ifyoudidnotchargeforit。Whentimebegantomeanmoney，thatwasadifferentmatter。Ifyoudidworkbythejob，youmightdriveinafewnails，loiter，andreturnwithouthaste；ifyouworkedbythehour，yourabsencewouldbeinquiredinto。Inthepresentcasenoonecouldloiter。Thatwasrealisedearly。
Thetallgirl，withthedeepstraightlookatyou，madeyourealisethatwithoutspokenwords。Sheexpectedenergysomethinglikeherown。Shewasanewforceandspurredthem。
Nomanknewhowitwasdone，but，whensheappearedamongthem——evenintheafternoon——\"lookin’thatwomany，\"holdingupherthindressoverlacepetticoats，thelikeofwhichhadnotbeenseenbefore，shelookedonwithjustthesamestraight，expectingeyes。Theydidnotseemtodoubtintheleastthatshewouldfindthatgreatadvancehadbeenmade。
Soadvancehadbeenmade，andworkaccomplished。AsBettywalkedfromoneplacetoanothershesawthesignsofitwithgratification。Theplacewasnottheoneshehadcometoafewmonthsago。Hothouses，outbuildings，stableswereinrepair。Workwasstillbeingdoneindifferentplaces。
Inthehouseitselfcarpentersordecoratorswereenclosedinsomerooms，andattheirbusiness，butexteriororderprevailed。Inthecourtyardstablemenwereatwork，andherowngroomcameforwardtouchinghisforehead。Shepaidavisittothehorses。Theywerefinecreatures，and，whensheenteredtheirstalls，maderoomforherandwhinniedgently，inwell—foundedexpectationofsugarandbreadwhichwerekeptinacupboardawaitinghervisits。Shesmoothedvelvetnosesandpattedsatinsides，talkingtoMasonalittlebeforeshewentherway。
Thenshestrolledintothepark。Theparkwasalwaysapleasure。Shewasinathoughtfulmood，andthesoftgreenshadowedsilenceluredher。Thesummerwindhus—s—shedthebranchesasitlightlywavedthem，thebrownearthoftheavenuewassun—dappled，therewerebirdnotesandcallstobeheardhereandthereandeverywhere，ifoneonlyarrestedone’sattentionamomenttolisten。Andshewasinalisteninganddreamingmood——oneofthemoodsinwhichbird，leaf，andwind，sun，shade，andscentofgrowingthingshavepart。
Andyetherthoughtswereofmundanethings。
ItwasonthisavenuethatG。Seldenhadmetwithhisaccident。HewasstillatDunstanvicarage，andyesterdayMountDunstan，incalling，hadtoldthemthatMr。PenzancewasapplyinghimselfwithdelightedinteresttoastudyofthemanipulationoftheDelkoff。
ThethoughtofMountDunstanbroughtwithitthethoughtofherfather。Thiswasbecausetherewasfrequentlyinhermindaconnectionbetweenthetwo。Howwouldthemanofschemes，ofwealth，andpoweralmostunbounded，regardthemanbornwithaloadabouthisneck——chainedtoearthbyit，standinginthemidstofhishungeringandthirstingpossessions，hishandsemptyofwhatwouldfeedthemandrestoretheirstrength？Wouldheseeanysolutionoftheproblem？Shecouldimaginehislookingatthesituationthroughhisgazeattheman，andconsideringbothinhissummingup。
\"Circumstancesandtheman，\"shehadheardhimsay。
\"Butalwaysthemanfirst。\"
Beingnovisionary，hedidnotunderestimatethepowerofcircumstance。ThisBettyhadlearnedfromhim。Andwhatcouldpracticallybedonewithcircumstancesuchasthis？Thequestionhadbeguntorecurtoher。WhatcouldsheherselfhavedoneinthecareofRosyandStornham，ifchancehadnotplacedinherhandthestrongestlever？Whatshehadaccomplishedhadbeeneasy——easy。Allthathadbeenrequiredhadbeenthequalitieswhichcontrolofthelevermightitselftendtocreateinone。Given——bymerechanceagain——imaginationandinitiative，themovingoftheleverdidtherest。
Ifchancehadnotbeenonone’sside，whatthen？Andwherewasthisman’schance？ShehadsaidtoRosy，inspeakingofthewealthofAmerica，\"Sometimesoneistiredofit。\"AndRosyhadremindedherthattherewerethosewhowerenottiredofit，whocouldbearsomeoftheburdenofit，ifitmightbelaidontheirownshoulders。Thegreatbeautiful，blind—facedhouse，awaitingitsslowdoominthemidstofitslonelyunfedlands——whatcouldsaveit，andallitrepresentedofraceandname，andthestatelyhistoryofmen，butthepoweroneprofessedtocallbaseandsordid——meremoney？Shefeltasuddenimpatienceatherselfforhavingsaidshewastiredofit。Thatwasafollywhichtookuponitselftheaspectofanaffectation。
And，ifamancouldnotearnmoney——orgoforthtorobricherneighboursofitasinthegoodoldmaraudingdays——
oracceptitifitwereofferedtohimasagift——whatcouldhedo？Nothing。Ifhehadbeenbornavillagelabourer，hecouldhaveearnedbytheworkofhishandsenoughtokeephiscottageroofoverhim，andhavehelduphisheadamonghisfellows。Butforsuchashimselftherewasnomerelabourwhichwouldavail。Hehadnotthatroughhonestresource。
OnlythedecentlivingandorderlymanagementofthegenerationsbehindhimwouldhavelefttohimfairlyhisownchancetoholdwithdignitytheplaceintheworldintowhichFatehadthrusthimattheoutset——ablind，newbornthingofwhomnopermissionhadbeenasked。
\"IfIbrokestonesuponthehighwayfortwelvehoursaday，Imightearntwoshillings，\"hehadsaidtoBetty，onthepreviousday。\"Icouldbreakstoneswell，\"holdingoutabigarm，\"butfourteenshillingsaweekwilldonomorethanbuybreadandbaconforastonebreaker。\"
Hewasordinarilyrathersilentandstiffinhisconversationalattitudetowardshisownaffairs。Bettysometimeswonderedhowsheherselfknewsomuchaboutthem——howithappenedthatherthoughtssooftendweltuponthem。Theexplanationshehadoncemadetoherselfhadbeenhalfirony，halfseriousreflection。
\"ItisaresultofthefirstReubenVanderpoel。ItisbecauseI
amofthefightingcommercialstock，and，whenIseeabusinessproblem，Icannotleaveitalone，evenwhenitisnoaffairofmine。\"
Asanexpositionofthetypeofthecommercialfighting—stockshepresented，asshepausedbeneathovershadowingtrees，anaspectbeautifullysuggestingafardifferentthing。
Shestood——allwhitefromslimshoetotiltedparasol，——andeithertheresultofherinspectionoftheworkdonebyherorder，oracombinationofhersummer—daymoodwithherfeelingfortheproblem，hadgivenheraspecialradiance。
Itglowedonlipandcheek，andshoneinherIrisheyes。
Shehadpausedtolookatamanapproachingdowntheavenue。Hewasnotalabourer，andshedidnotknowhim。
Menwhowerenotlabourersusuallyrodeordrove，andthisonewaswalking。Hewasneitheryoungnorold，and，thoughatadistancehisaspectwasnotattracting，shefoundthatsheregardedhimcuriously，andwaitedforhimtodrawnearer。
Themanhimselfwasglancingabouthimwithapuzzledlookandknittedforehead。Whenhehadpassedthroughthevillagehehadseenthingshehadnotexpectedtosee；whenhehadreachedtheentrancegate，and——forreasonsofhisown——dismissedhisstationtrap，hehadlookedatthelodgescrutinisingly，becausehewasnotpreparedforitspicturesquetrimness。Theavenuewasfreefromweedsandinorder，thetwogatesbeyondhimwerenewandsubstantial。Ashewentonhiswayandreachedthefirst，hesawataboutahundredyardsdistanceatallgirlinwhitestandingwatchinghim。
Thingswhichwerenoteasilyexplainablealwaysirritatedhim。Thatthisplace——whichwashisownaffair——shouldpresentanairofmystery，didnotimprovehishumour，whichwasbadtobeginwith。Hehadlatelybeenpassingthroughunpleasantthings，whichhadlefthimfeelinghimselftrickedandmaderidiculous——asonlywomencantrickamanandmakehimridiculous，hehadsaidtohimself。Andtherehadbeenanacridconsolationinlookingforwardtothereliefofventingone’sselfonawomanwhodarenotresent。
\"Whathashappened，confoundit！\"hemuttered，whenhecaughtsightofthegirl。\"Havewesetupahouseparty？\"
Andthen，ashesawmoredistinctly，\"Damn！Whatafigure！\"
BythistimeBettyherselfhadbeguntoseemoreclearly。
Surelythiswasafacesheremembered——thoughthepassingofyearsanduglylivinghadthickenedandblurred，somewhat，itsalwaysheavyfeatures。Suddenlysheknewit，andthelookinitseyes——thelookshehad，asachild，unreasoninglyhated。
NigelAnstruthershadreturnedfromhisprivateholiday。
Asshetookafewquietstepsforwardtomeethim，theireyesrestedoneachother。Afteranightortwointownhiswereslightlybloodshot，andthelightinthemwasnotagreeable。
Itwashewhospokefirst，anditispossiblethathedidnotquiteintendtousetheexpletivewhichbrokefromhim。
Buthewasrememberingthingsalso。Herewereeyeshe，too，hadseenbefore——twelveyearsagointhefaceofanobjectionable，long—leggedchildinNewYork。Andhisownhatredofthemhadbeenfoundedinhisownopiniononthebestofreasons。Andheretheygazedathimfromthefaceofayoungbeauty——forabeautyshewas。
\"Damnit！\"heexclaimed；\"itisBetty。\"
\"Yes，\"sheanswered，withafaint，butentirelycourteous，smile。\"Itis。Ihopeyouareverywell。\"
Sheheldoutherhand。\"Adelicioushand，\"waswhathesaidtohimself，ashetookit。Andwhateyesforagirltohaveinherheadwerethosewhichlookedoutathimbetweenshadows。Wasthereahintofthedevilinthem？Hethoughtso——hehopedso，sinceshehaddescendedontheplaceinthisway。ButWHATthedevilwasthemeaningofherbeingonthespotatall？Hewas，however，farbeyondthelackofastutenesswhichmighthavepermittedhimtoexpressthislastthoughtatthisparticularjuncture。Hewasonlybetrayedintostupidmistakes，afterwardstoberegretted，whenragecausedhimutterlytolosecontrolofhiswits。And，thoughhewasstartledandnotexactlypleased，hewasnotinaragenow。Theeyelashesandthefiguregaveanagreeablefilliptohishumour。Howsoevershehadcome，shewasworthlookingat。
\"Howcouldoneexpectsuchadelightfulthingasthis？\"
hesaid，withatouchofironicamiability。\"Itismorethanonedeserves。\"
\"Itisverypoliteofyoutosaythat，\"answeredBetty。
Hewasthinkingrapidlyashestoodandgazedather。Therewere，intruth，manythingstothinkofundercircumstancessounexpected。
\"MayIaskyoutoexcusemystaringatyou？\"heinquiredwithwhatRosyhadcalledhis\"awful，agreeablesmile。\"
\"WhenIsawyoulastyouwereafiercenine—year—oldAmericanchild。Iusetheword`fierce’because——ifyou’llpardonmysayingso——therewasacertainferocityaboutyou。\"
\"Ihavelearnedatvariouseducationalinstitutionstoconcealit，\"smiledBetty。
\"MayIaskwhenyouarrived？\"
\"Ashorttimeafteryouwentabroad。\"
\"Rosaliedidnotinformmeofyourarrival。\"
\"Shedidnotknowyouraddress。Youhadforgottentoleaveit。\"
Hehadmadeamistakeandrealisedit。Butshepresentedtohimnoairofhavingobservedhisslip。Hepausedafewseconds，stillregardingherandstillthinkingrapidly。Herecalledthemendedwindowsandroofsandpalingsinthevillage，theparkgatesandentrance。Whothedevilhaddoneallthat？
Howcouldamerehandsomegirlbeconcernedinit？Andyet——hereshewas。
\"WhenIdrovethroughthevillage，\"hesaidnext，\"Isawthatsomeremarkablechangeshadtakenplaceonmyproperty。
Ifeelasifyoucanexplainthemtome。\"
\"Ihopetheyarechangeswhichmeetwithyourapproval。\"
\"Quite——quite，\"alittlecurtly。\"ThoughIconfesstheymystifyme。ThoughIamtheson—in—lawofanAmericanmultimillionaire，Icouldnotaffordtomakesuchrepairsmyself。\"
Acertainsmallspitefulnesswhichwashismostfrequentundoingmadeitimpossibleforhimtoresistaddingtheinnuendoinhislastsentence。Andagainhesawitwasafolly。Theimpersonaltoneofherreplysimplylefthimwherehehadplacedhimself。
\"Weweresorrynottobeabletoreachyou。Asitseemedwelltobegintheworkatonce，weconsultedMessrs。Townlinson&Sheppard。\"
\"We？\"herepeated。\"AmItohavethepleasure，\"withaslightwrynessofthemouth，\"offindingMr。VanderpoelalsoatStornham？\"
\"No——notyet。AsIwasonthespot，Isawyoursolicitorsandaskedtheiradviceandapproval——formyfather。Ifhehadknownhownecessarytheworkwas，itwouldhavebeendonebefore，forUghtred’ssake。\"
Hervoicewasthatofapersonwho，instatingobviousfacts，providesnoapproachtoenlighteningcommentuponthem。
Andtherewasinhermannerthemerestgraciousimpersonality。
\"DoIunderstandthatMr。Vanderpoelemployedsomeonetovisittheplaceanddirectthework？\"
\"Itwasreallynotdifficulttodirect。Itwasmerelyamatterofengaginglabourandcompetentforemen。\"
Anoddexpressionroseinhiseyes。
\"Yousuggestanovelidea，uponmyword，\"hesaid。\"Isitpossible——youseeIknowsomethingofAmerica——isitpossibleImustthankYOUfortheworkingofthismagic？\"
\"Youneednotthankme，\"shesaid，ratherslowly，becauseitwasnecessarythatshealsoshouldthinkofmanythingsatonce。\"Icouldnothavehelpeddoingit。\"
ShewishedtomakeallcleartohimbeforehemetRosy。
SheknewitwasnotunnaturalthattheunexpectednessofhisappearancemightdepriveLadyAnstruthersofpresenceofmind。Instincttoldherthatwhatwasneededinintercoursewithhimwas，aboveallthings，presenceofmind。
\"Iwilltellyouaboutit，\"shesaid。\"Wewillwalkslowlyupanddownhere，ifyoudonotobject。\"
Hedidnotobject。Hewantedtohearthestoryashecouldnothearitfromhisnervouslittlefoolofawife，whowouldbefrightenedintoforgettingthingsandtheirsequence。Whathemeanttodiscoverwaswherehestoodinthematter——wherehisfather—in—lawstood，and，ratherspecially，tohaveachancetosumuptheweaknessesandstrengthsofthenewarrival。
Thatwouldbetohisinterest。Intalkingthisthingovershewouldunconsciouslyrevealhowmuchvanityoremotionorinexperiencehemightcountuponasfactorssafetouseinone’sdealingswithherinthefuture。
Ashelistenedhewassupportedbythefactthathedidnotloseconsciousnessoftheeyesandthefigure。Butfortheseitisprobablethathewouldhavegoneblindwithfuryatcertainpointswhichforcedthemselvesuponhim。Thefirstwasthattherehadbeenanabsurdandimmenseexpenditurewhichwouldsimplybenefithissonandnothimself。Hecouldnotsellorborrowmoneyonwhathadbeengiven。Apparentlytheplacehadbeenre—establishedonafootingsuchasithadnotresteduponduringhisowngeneration，orhisfather’s。Asheloathedlifeinthecountry，itwasnothewhowouldenjoyitsluxury，buthiswifeandherchild。Thesecondpointwasthatthesepeople——thisgirl——hadsomehowhadthesharpnesstoputthemselvesintheright，andtoplacehiminapositionatwhichhecouldnotcomplainwithoutputtinghimselfinthewrong。Publicopinionwouldsaythatbenefitshadbeenheapeduponhim，thatthecorrectthinghadbeendonecorrectlywiththeknowledgeandapprovalofthelegaladvisersofhisfamily。
Ithadbeenamasterlything，thatvisittoTownlinson&
Sheppard。Hewasobligedtoaidhisself—controlbyaglanceattheeyelashes。Shewasanewsortofgirl，thisBetty，whosechildhoodhehadloathed，and，tohisjadedtaste，noveltyappealedenormously。Herattractionforhimwasalsoaddedtobythefactthathewasnotatallsurethattherewasnotcombinedwithitapungentspiceoftheolddetestation。Hewasrepelledaswellasallured。Sherepresentedthingswhichhehated。First，themerematerialpower，whichnomancanbully，whatsoeverhishumour。Itwasthepowerhemostlongedforand，ashecouldnothopetopossessit，mostsneeredatandragedagainst。Also，asshetalked，itwasplainthatherhabitofself—controlandhersenseofresourcewouldbedifficulttodealwith。Hewasasurvivalofthetypeofmanwhosesimplecreedwasthatwomenshouldnotpossessresources，aswhentheypossessedthemtheycouldrarelybemadetobehavethemselves。
Butwhilehethoughtthesethings，hewalkedbyhersideandbothlistenedandtalkedsmilingtheagreeablesmile。
\"Youwillpardonmydullbewilderment，\"hesaid。\"Itisnotunnatural，isit——inamereoutsider？\"
AndBetty，withthebeautifulimpersonalsmile，said：
\"Wefeltitsounfortunatethatevenyoursolicitorsdidnotknowyouraddress。\"
When，atlength，theyturnedandstrolledtowardsthehouse，acarriagewasdrawingupbeforethedoor，andatthesightofit，Bettysawhercompanionslightlylifthiseyebrows。LadyAnstruthershadbeenoutandwasreturning。Thegroomgotdownfromthebox，andtwomen—servantsappeareduponthesteps。LadyAnstruthersdescended，laughingalittleasshetalkedtoUghtred，whohadbeenwithher。Shewasdressedinclear，palegrey，andthesoftroseliningofherparasolwarmedthecolourofherskin。
SirNigelpausedasecondandputuphisglass。
\"Isthatmywife？\"hesaid。\"Really！ShequiterecallsNewYork。\"
Theagreeablesmilewasonhislipsashehastenedforward。
HealwaysmoreorlessenjoyedcominguponRosaliesuddenly。
Theobviousresultwasapleasingtributetohispower。
Betty，followinghim，sawwhatoccurred。
Ughtredsawhimfirst，andspokequickandlow。
\"Mother！\"hesaid。
