en herself and her
schoolmates. She realized now, only too bitterly, why her father so
persistently shunned all English people. It would surely have been
better to have placed her at an Italian school than among girls of her
own nationality. Lorna, naturally morbid and over-sensitive, shrank yet
deeper into her shell, and became more sphinx-like than ever. Her one
bright spot at the Villa Camellia was her devotion to her buddy. Half a
dozen other girls had at various periods tried to "take Lorna up," but
all had promptly dropped her, declaring that they could not get any
further, and that she was a solitary "hermit-crab." Irene, after one or
two ventures, realized that Lorna was utterly reserved and
uncommunicative, but was content to continue the friendship on a
one-sided basis, giving confidences, but receiving none in return. She
was a little laughed at in certain quarters on the subject of her chum.

"Hope you like crab sauce."

"We're tickled to bits at the pair of you."

"It won't last long."

"Shall we give you an oyster-opener for a birthday present?"

"You've got the champion chestnut-bur of the school--aren't you full of
prickles?"

"Go on!" smiled Irene calmly. "I've been teased all my life by my
brother, so I'm pretty well bomb-proof. Say just what you like. I'm sure
I don't care."

It really did not trouble Irene that Lorna should cling to this habit of
closeness. She had so many affairs of her own in which to be interested.
She had spent a glorious half-term holiday with her family in their flat
at Naples, and was delighted to describe every detail of her
experiences. She chatted about her relations till Lorna knew Mr. and
Mrs. Beverley and Vincent absolutely well by hearsay, though she had
never met them in the flesh. The accounts of their doings gave her a
peep of home life such as she had not hitherto realized.

"Lovely to be you," she ventured once.

"You must come and see us," replied Irene impulsively. "I'll get Mother
to ask you some day. Don't look so scared. They wouldn't eat you. Don't
you like paying visits? Oh well, of course, if you don't want to come I
won't worry you. No, I'm not offended. Why should I be? Let everybody
please herself is my motto. Oh, _don't_ apologize, for it really doesn't
matter in the very least! I'd far rather people were frank and said what
they thought."

"I'm going with you to Pompeii to-morrow at any rate," said Lorna. "I'm
glad they've put us both down