her failure lying down.

'The men who are here,' she said, 'the great majority of men at all
open-air meetings seem to be loafers. Woman--whatever else she may or
may not be--isn't a loafer!' Through Borrodaile's laugh she persisted.
'A woman always seems to have something to do, even if it's of the
silliest description. Yes, and if she's a decent person at all, she's
not hanging about at street corners waiting for some diversion!'

'Not bad; not bad! I see you are catching the truly martial spirit.'

'That's them, ain't it?' One of the young men jumped up.

Vida turned her head in time to see the meeting between two girls and a
woman arriving from opposite directions.

'Yes,' she whispered; 'that's Ernestine with the pile of handbills on
her arm.'

The lady sent out smiles and signals of welcome with a lifted hand. The
busy propagandist took no notice. She was talking to her two companions,
one of whom, the younger with head on one side, kept shooting out
glances half provocative, half appealing, towards Lord Borrodaile and
the young men. She seemed as keenly alive to the fact of these male
presences as the two other women seemed oblivious.

'Which is the one,' asked Lord Borrodaile, 'that you were telling me
about?'

'Why, Ernestine Blunt--the pink-cheeked one in the long alpaca coat.'

'She doesn't look so very devilish,' he laughed. After an impatient
moment's hope that devilishness might develop, he said, 'She hasn't seen
you yet.'

'Oh, yes, she has.'

'Then she isn't as overjoyed as she ought to be.'

'She'd be surprised to know she was expected to be overjoyed.'

'Why? Aren't you very good to her?'

'No. She's been rather good to me, though she doesn't take very much
stock in me.'

'Why doesn't she?'

'Oh, there are only two kinds of people that interest Ernestine. Those
who'll be active in carrying on the propaganda, and those who have yet
to be converted.'

'Well, I'm disappointed,' he teased, perceiving how keen his friend was
that he should not be. 'The other one would be more likely to convert
_me_.'

'Oh, you only say that because the other one's tall, and makes eyes!'
Vida denounced him, to his evident diversion.

Whatever his reasons were, the young men seemed to share his preference.
They were watching the languishing young woman, who in turn kept
glancing at them. Ernestine, having finished what she was saying, made
her way to where Miss Levering sat, not, it would appear, for