got Ernestine,' Vida exulted under her breath.

Borrodaile fell to studying this aspect of the face whose every change
he had thought he knew so well. What was the new thing in it? Not
admiration merely, not affection alone--something almost fierce behind
the half-protecting tenderness with which she watched the chairman's
duel with the mob. Borrodaile lifted a hand--people were far too
engrossed, he knew, to notice--and he laid it on Vida's, which had
tightened on the back of the bench.

'My dear!' he said wondering and low as one would to wake a sleepwalker.

She answered without looking at him, 'What is it?'

He seemed not to know quite how to frame his protest.

'She can carry _you_ along at least!' he grumbled. 'You forget everybody
else!'

Vida smiled. It was so plain whom he meant by 'everybody.' Lord
Borrodaile gave a faint laugh. He probably knew that would 'bring her
round.' It did. It brought her quick eyes to his face; it brought low
words.

'_Please!_ Don't let her see you--laughing, I mean.'

'You can explain to her afterwards that it was you I was laughing at.'
As that failed of specific effect, 'You really are a little ridiculous,'
he said again, with the edge in his voice, 'hanging on the lips of that
Backfisch as if she were Demosthenes.'

'We don't think she's a Demosthenes. We know she is something much more
significant--for _us_.'

'What?'

'She's Ernestine Blunt.'

Clean out of patience, he turned his back.

'Am I alone?' she whispered over his shoulder, as if in apology. 'Look
at all the other women. Some of them are very intelligent. Our interest
in our fellow-woman seems queer and unnatural to you because you don't
realize Mrs. Brown has always been interested in Mrs. Jones.'

'Oh, has she?'

'Yes. She hasn't said much to Mr. Brown about it,' Vida admitted,
smiling, because a man's interest in woman is so limited.'

Borrodaile laughed. 'I didn't know that was his failing!'

'I mean his interest is of one sort. It's confined to the woman he finds
interesting in _that_ way at _that_ minute. Other women bore him. But
other women have always been mightily interesting to us! Now, sh! let's
listen.'

'I can understand those callow youths,' unwarily he persisted; 'she's
pink and pert and all the rest, but _you_----'

'Oh, will you _never_ understand? Don't you know women are more
civilized than men?'

'Woman! she'll be the last animal domesticated.' It seemed as if he
prefer