ar about his dress.

"I'll leave you to talk to Mrs. Tallents Smallpeace," Cecilia said.

A knot of people round Mr. Balladyce prevented her from moving far,
however, and the voice of Mrs. Smallpeace travelled to her ears.

"I was talking about that little model. It was so good of you to take
such interest in the girl. I wondered whether we could do anything for
her."

Cecilia's hearing was too excellent to miss the tone of Hilary's reply:

"Oh, thank you; I don't think so."

"I fancied perhaps you might feel that our Society---hers is an
unsatisfactory profession for young girls!"

Cecilia saw the back of Hilary's neck grow red. She turned her head
away.

"Of course, there are many very nice models indeed," said the voice of
Mrs. Tallents Smallpeace. "I don't mean that they are necessarily at
all--if they're girls of strong character; and especially if they don't
sit for the--the altogether."

Hilary's dry, staccato answer came to Cecilia's ears: "Thank you; it's
very kind of you."

"Oh, of course, if it's not necessary. Your wife's picture was so
clever, Mr. Dallison--such an interesting type."

Without intention Cecilia found herself before that picture. It stood
with its face a little turned towards the wall, as though somewhat in
disgrace, portraying the full-length figure of a girl standing in deep
shadow, with her arms half outstretched, as if asking for something. Her
eyes were fixed on Cecilia, and through her parted lips breath almost
seemed to come. The only colour in the picture was the pale blue of
those eyes, the pallid red of those parted lips, the still paler brown of
the hair; the rest was shadow. In the foreground light was falling as
though from a street-lamp.

Cecilia thought: "That girl's eyes and mouth haunt me. Whatever made
Blanca choose such a subject? It is clever, of course--for her."

CHAPTER II

A FAMILY DISCUSSION

The marriage of Sylvanus Stone, Professor of the Natural Sciences, to
Anne, daughter of Mr. Justice Carfax, of the well-known county
family--the Carfaxes of Spring Deans, Hants--was recorded in the sixties.
The baptisms of Martin, Cecilia, and Bianca, son and daughters of
Sylvanus and Anne Stone, were to be discovered registered in Kensington
in the three consecutive years following, as though some single-minded
person had been connected with their births. After this the baptisms of
no more offspring were to be found anywhere, as if that single