as successfully as she defied
lesser foes. Even the lank, straw-coloured hair hardly showed the
streaks of yellow-white that offered their unemphatic clue to Wark's
age.

The sensitive face of the woman in the bed--even now with something of
the peace of sleep still shadowing its brilliancy--gave by contrast an
impression of vividness and eager sympathies. The mistress, too, looked
younger than her years. She did not seem to wonder at the dull presence
that seemed to be held there, prisoner-like, behind the brass bars at
the foot of the bed. Wark sometimes gave herself this five minutes'
_tete-a-tete_ with her mistress before the business of the day began and
all their intercourse was swamped in clothes.

'I meant to pin a paper on the door to say I wasn't to be called till
ten,' said the lady, as though keeping up the little pretence of not
being pleased.

'Didn't you sleep well, 'm?' The maid managed wholly to denude the
question of its usual grace of solicitude.

'Yes; but it was so late when I began. We didn't get back till nearly
three.'

'I didn't get much sleep, either.' It was an unheard-of admission from
Wark.

'Oh!' said Vida, lazily sipping her tea. 'Bad conscience?'

'No,' she said slowly, 'no.'

As the woman raised her light eyes, Miss Levering saw, to her
astonishment, that the lids were red. Wark, too, seemed uncomfortably
aware of something unusual in her face, for she turned it away, and
busied herself in smoothing down the near corner of the bath blanket.

'What kept _you_ awake?' Miss Levering asked.

'Well, I suppose I'd better tell you while the other people aren't
round. I want a day or two to go into the country.'

'Into the country?' No such request had been heard for a round dozen of
years.

'I've got some business to see to.'

'At home? In Northumberland?'

'No.'

The tone seemed so little to promise anything in the nature of a
confidence that Miss Levering merely said--

'Oh, very well. When do you want to go?'

'I could go to-morrow if----' She stopped, and looked down at the hem of
her long white apron.

Something unwonted in the wooden face prompted Miss Levering to say--

'What do you want to do in the country?'

'To see about a place that's been offered me.'

'A _place_, Wark!'

'Yes; post of housekeeper. That's what I really am, you know.'

Miss Levering looked at her, and set down the half-finished cup without
opening her lips. If the speech had come from