able to prove. Mavis went on a
similar errand to Halverton Street, to find that Lil had long since
left and that there was no one in the house who knew of her
whereabouts. She had been lost in one of the many foul undercurrents of
London life. The one remaining person Mavis wished to benefit was Miss
Toombs. For a long time, this independent-minded young woman resisted
the offers that Mavis made her. One day, however, when Miss Toombs was
laid up with acute indigestion, Mavis prevailed on her to accept a
handsome cheque which would enable her to do what she pleased for the
rest of her life, without endangering the happiness she derived from
tea, buttered toast, and hot-water bottles in winter.

"It was unkind of you not to take it before," said Mavis.

Miss Toombs looked stupidly at her benefactor.

"Now I know you want to thank me. Good night," said Mavis, as she put
out her hand.

Miss Toombs took it, gripped it, and then turned round with her face to
the wall. The next morning, Mavis received a letter from her in pencil.
In this, she told Mavis that the desire of her life had been for
independence; but that she had held out against taking the money
because she had latterly become jealous of Mavis, owing to Windebank's
lifelong infatuation for her.

In addition to these benefactions, Mavis insisted on repaying Windebank
for all the expense he had been put to for her illness, her child's
funeral, and for her long stay at Swanage.

Thus, Mavis's first concern was to benefit those who had shown her
kindness; whether or not she added to the sum of their individual
happiness is another matter. Mr Poulter, doubtless, thought that dear
Mrs Harold Devitt, while she was about it, might just as well have
gilded "Turpsichor's" head and face. Mrs Scatchard, and particularly
Miss Meakin, were probably resentful that Mavis did not ask them to mix
with her swell friends; whilst Miss Toombs had plenty of time on her
hands in which to indulge in vain regrets because she was not as
attractive and finely formed as Mavis.

Beyond these gifts, it was a long time before Mavis could get into the
habit of spending her substance freely, and without thought of whether
she could really afford to part with money; the reason being that, for
so many years in her life, she had had to consider so carefully every
penny she spent, that she found it difficult to break away from these
habits of economy. Late in the year, she moved up from her M