."

"Yes," Winn acknowledged; "I see that now, of course. I was keen on
getting her, but I hadn't thought the rest out. Rather odd, isn't it,
that you don't get as much as a tip about how jolly a thing could be
till you've dished yourself from having it?"

Miss Marley agreed that it was rather odd.

Winn came back swiftly to his point.

"What I was going to ask you," he said, holding her with his eyes, "is
to sit at my table for a bit. I happen to have two young friends of mine
over from Davos. He's her brother, of course, but I thought I'd like to
have another woman somewhere about. Look better, wouldn't it? She's only
nineteen."

His voice dropped as he mentioned Claire's age as if he were speaking of
the Madonna.

"Yes," agreed Miss Marley, "it would look better."

"I dare say," said Winn after rather a long pause, "you see what I mean?
The idea is--our idea, you know--to be together as much as we can for a
fortnight. It'll be all right, of course; only I rather wondered if
you'd see us through."

"See you through being all right?" Miss Marley asked with the directness
of a knife-thrust.

"Well--yes," said Winn. "It would just put people off thinking things.
Everybody seems to know you up here, and I somehow thought I'd rather
you knew."

"Thank you," said Miss Marley, briefly.

She turned back to the fire again. She had seen all she wanted to see in
Winn's eyes. She saw his intention. What she wasn't sure about was the
fortnight. A fortnight can do a good deal with an intention.

Miss Marley knew the world very well. People had often wanted to use her
for a screen before, and generally she had refused, believing that the
chief safeguard of innocence is the absence of screens. But she saw that
Winn did not want her to be that kind of a screen; he wanted her to be
in the center of his situation without touching it. He wanted her for
Claire, but he wanted her also a little for himself, so that he might
feel the presence of her upright friendliness. He intensely trusted her.

There are people who intend to do good in the world and invariably do
harm. They enter eagerly into the lives of others and put their fingers
pressingly upon delicate machinery; very often they destroy it, more
seldom, unfortunately, they cut their own fingers. Miss Marley did not
belong to this type. She did not wish to be involved and she was
scrupulous never to involve others. She hesitated before she gave her
consent, but she c