r which she gave it back. "You don't like it. I
see, I see."

To her guest's astonishment there were tears now in her eyes. "I don't
like what?" the girl asked.

"Why my engagement. Only, with your great cleverness," the poor lady
quavered out, "you put it in your own way. I mean that you'll cool off.
You already have--!" And on this, the next instant, her tears began to
flow. She succumbed to them and collapsed; she sank down again, burying
her face and trying to smother her sobs.

Her young friend stood there, still in some rigour, but taken much by
surprise even if not yet fully moved to pity. "I don't put anything in
any 'way,' and I'm very glad you're suited. Only, you know, you did put
to me so splendidly what, even for me, if I had listened to you, it might
lead to."

Mrs. Jordan kept up a mild thin weak wail; then, drying her eyes, as
feebly considered this reminder. "It has led to my not starving!" she
faintly gasped.

Our young lady, at this, dropped into the place beside her, and now, in a
rush, the small silly misery was clear. She took her hand as a sign of
pitying it, then, after another instant, confirmed this expression with a
consoling kiss. They sat there together; they looked out, hand in hand,
into the damp dusky shabby little room and into the future, of no such
very different suggestion, at last accepted by each. There was no
definite utterance, on either side, of Mr. Drake's position in the great
world, but the temporary collapse of his prospective bride threw all
further necessary light; and what our heroine saw and felt for in the
whole business was the vivid reflexion of her own dreams and delusions
and her own return to reality. Reality, for the poor things they both
were, could only be ugliness and obscurity, could never be the escape,
the rise. She pressed her friend--she had tact enough for that--with no
other personal question, brought on no need of further revelations, only
just continued to hold and comfort her and to acknowledge by stiff little
forbearances the common element in their fate. She felt indeed
magnanimous in such matters; since if it was very well, for condolence or
reassurance, to suppress just then invidious shrinkings, she yet by no
means saw herself sitting down, as she might say, to the same table with
Mr. Drake. There would luckily, to all appearance, be little question of
tables; and the circumstance that, on their peculiar lines, her friend's