ances, and it was bitter to her mouth. All very well to remind
herself that work was honourable, that anyone who looked down on her for
choosing to be independent was not worth a moment's thought, the fact
remained that for the first, the very first time in her life she had
been made to feel that there was a barrier between herself and a member
of her own class, and that, however willing Mrs Fanshawe might be to
introduce her to a casual friend, she was unwilling to make her known to
her own son!

Claire stood stiff and poker-like at her post, determined to make no
movement until Mrs Fanshawe and her attendants had taken their
departure. The storm of indignation and wounded pride which was surging
through her veins distracted her mind from her surroundings; she was
dimly conscious that one after another, her fellow-passengers had taken
their departure, preceded by a porter trundling a truck of luggage;
conscious that where there had been a crowd, there was now a space,
until eventually with a shock of surprise she discovered that she was
standing alone, by her own little pile of boxes. At that she shook
herself impatiently, beckoned to a porter and was about to walk ahead,
when an uneasy suspicion made itself felt. The luggage! Something was
wrong. The pile looked smaller than it had done ten minutes before.
She made a rapid circuit, and made a horrible discovery. A box was
missing! The dress-box containing the skirts of all her best frocks,
spread at full length and carefully padded with tissue paper. It had
been there ten minutes ago; the custom-house officer had given it a
special rap. She distinctly remembered noticing a new scratch on the
leather. Where in the name of everything that was inexplicable could it
have disappeared? Appealed to for information the porter was not
illuminating. "If it had been there before, why wasn't it there now?
Was the lady _sure_ she had seen it? Might have been left behind at
Antwerp or Parkeston. Better telegraph and see! If it had been there
before, why wasn't it there now? Mistakes did happen. Boxes were much
alike. P'raps it was left in the van. If it was there ten minutes
before, why wasn't it--"

Claire stopped him with an imperious hand.

"That's enough! It _was_ there: I saw it. I counted the pieces before
the custom-house officer came along. I noticed it especially. Someone
must have taken it by mistake."

The porter shook his head darkly.

"On