had been merely a passing pleasure, managed
by Lady Sellingworth, meaning little, and likely to lead to nothing.
And she had found out that there certainly was a secret understanding
between Lady Sellingworth and Craven from which she was excluded. Craven
had preferred Adela Sellingworth to herself, and Adela Sellingworth was
fully aware of it.

It was characteristic of Miss Van Tuyn that though her vanity was so
great and was now severely wounded she did not debate the matter within
herself, did not for a moment attempt to deceive herself about it.
And yet really she had very little ground to go upon. Craven had been
charming to her, had replied to her glances, had almost made love to her
at dinner, had sat very close to her during the last act of the play.
Yes; but it had all been acting on his part. Quite coolly she told
herself that. And Lady Sellingworth had certainly wished him to act, had
even prompted him to it.

Miss Van Tuyn felt very angry with Lady Sellingworth. She was less angry
with Craven. Indeed, she was not sure that she was angry with him at
all. He was several years older than herself, but she began to think of
him as really very young, as much younger in mind and temperament than
she was. He was only a clever boy, susceptible to flattery, easily
influenced by a determined will, and probably absurdly chivalrous. She
knew the sort of chivalry which was a symptom really of babyhood in
the masculine mind. It was characteristic of sensitive natures, she
believed, and it often led to strange aberrations. Craven was only a
baby, although a baby of the world, and Adela Sellingworth with her
vast experience had, of course, seen that at a glance and was now busily
playing upon baby's young chivalry. Miss Van Tuyn could almost hear the
talk about being so lonely in the big house in Berkeley Square, about
the freedom of men and the difficulty of having any real freedom when
one is a solitary woman with no man to look after you, about the tragedy
of being considered old when your heart and your nature are really still
young, almost as young as ever they were. Adela Sellingworth would know
how to touch every string, would be an adept at calling out the music
she wanted. How easily experienced women played upon men! It was really
pathetic! And as Craven had thought of protecting Lady Sellingworth
against Miss Van Tuyn, so now Miss van Tuyn felt inclined to protect
Alick Craven against Lady Sellingworth. She did n