ze that the
first battles of this new campaign must be fought by women alone. The
only effective help men could give--amendment of the law--they refuse.
The rest is nothing.'

'Don't be ungrateful, Vida. Here is this gentleman ready to face
criticism in publicly championing you----'

'Yes, but it's an illusion that I, as an individual, need a champion. I
am quite safe in the crowd. Please don't wait for me and don't come for
me again.'

The sensitive dark face flushed. 'Of course if you'd rather----'

'And that reminds me,' she went on, unfairly punishing poor Mr. Trent
for Lady John's meaning looks, 'I was asked to thank you, and to tell
you, too, that they won't need your chairmanship any more--though that,
I beg you to believe, has nothing to do with any feeling of mine.'

He was hurt and he showed it. 'Of course I know there must be other men
ready--better known men----'

'It isn't that. It's simply that we find a man can't keep a rowdy
meeting in order as well as a woman.'

He stared.

'You aren't serious?' said Lady John.

'Haven't you noticed,' Miss Levering put it to Trent, 'that all our
worst disturbances come when men are in charge?'

'Ha! ha! Well--a--I hadn't connected the two ideas.'

Still laughing a little ruefully, he suffered himself to be taken
downstairs by kind little Miss Dunbarton, who had stood without a word
waiting there with absent face.

'That nice boy's in love with you,' said Lady John, _sotto voce_.

Vida looked at her without answering.

'Good-bye.' They shook hands. 'I _wish_ you hadn't been so unkind to
that nice boy.'

'Do you?'

'Yes; for then I would be more sure of your telling Geoffrey Stonor that
intelligent women don't nurse their wrongs indefinitely, and lie in wait
to punish them.'

'You are _not_ sure?'

Lady John went up close and looked into her face with searching anxiety.
'Are _you_?' she asked.

Vida stood there mute, with eyes on the ground. Lady John glanced
nervously at her watch, and, with a gesture of perturbation, hurriedly
left the room. The other went slowly back to her place by the table.

* * * * *

The look she bent on Stonor as he came in seemed to take no account of
those hurried glimpses at the Tunbridges' months before, and twice
to-day when other eyes were watching. It was as if now, for the first
time since they parted, he stood forth clearly. This man with the
changed face, coming in at the door