have told me that before, Elly. I've made an agreement."

She suddenly wanted to cry. "But----You said I should manage these
Hostels myself."

"So you shall, Elly. But we must have somebody. When we go abroad and
all that and for all the sort of business stuff and looking after things
that you can't do. We've _got_ to have her. She's the only thing going
of her sort."

"But--I don't like her."

"Well," cried Sir Isaac, "why in goodness couldn't you tell me that
before, Elly? I've been and engaged her."

She sat pale-faced staring at him with wide open eyes in which tears of
acute disappointment were shining. She did not dare another word because
of her trick of weeping.

"It's all right, Elly," said Sir Isaac. "How touchy you are! Anything
you want about these Hostels of yours, you've only got to tell me and
it's done."

Sec.11

Lady Harman was still in a state of amazement at the altered prospects
of her hostels when the day arrived for the formal opening of the first
of these in Bloomsbury. They made a little public ceremony of it in
spite of her reluctance, and Mr. Brumley had to witness things from out
of the general crowd and realize just how completely he wasn't in it, in
spite of all his efforts. Mrs. Pembrose was modestly conspicuous, like
the unexpected in all human schemes. There were several reporters
present, and Horatio Blenker who was going to make a loyal leader about
it, to be followed by one or two special articles for the _Old Country
Gazette_.

Horatio had procured Mrs. Blapton for the opening after some ineffectual
angling for the Princess Adeline, and the thing was done at half-past
three in the afternoon. In the bright early July sunshine outside the
new building there was a crimson carpet down on the pavement and an
awning above it, there was a great display of dog-daisies at the windows
and on the steps leading up to the locked portals, an increasing number
of invited people lurked shyly in the ground-floor rooms ready to come
out by the back way and cluster expectantly when Mrs. Blapton arrived,
Graper the staff manager and two assistants in dazzling silk hats seemed
everywhere, the rabbit-like architect had tried to look doggish in a
huge black silk tie and only looked more like a rabbit than ever, and
there was a steady driftage of small boys and girls, nurses with
perambulators, cab touts, airing grandfathers and similar unemployed
people towards the promise of the awning, the c