on him but had proved as ineffectual in this respect as she
was in every other. She recalled the vision she had allowed to dance
before her as she saw the pair cross the street together, laughing and
talking, and how it seemed to interpose itself against the fears which
already then--so strangely--haunted her. Now that she saw it so
fruitless--and that Verena, moreover, had turned out really so
great--she was rather ashamed of it; she felt associated, however
remotely, in the reasons which had made Mrs. Luna tell her so many fibs
the day before, and there could be nothing elevating in that. As for the
other reasons why her fidgety sister had failed and Mr. Ransom had held
his own course, naturally Miss Chancellor didn't like to think of them.

If she had wondered what Mrs. Burrage wished so particularly to talk
about, she waited some time for the clearing-up of the mystery. During
this interval she sat in a remarkably pretty boudoir, where there were
flowers and faiences and little French pictures, and watched her hostess
revolve round the subject in circles the vagueness of which she tried to
dissimulate. Olive believed she was a person who never could enjoy
asking a favour, especially of a votary of the new ideas; and that was
evidently what was coming. She had asked one already, but that had been
handsomely paid for; the note from Mrs. Burrage which Verena found
awaiting her in Tenth Street, on her arrival, contained the largest
cheque this young woman had ever received for an address. The request
that hung fire had reference to Verena too, of course; and Olive needed
no prompting to feel that her friend's being a young person who took
money could not make Mrs. Burrage's present effort more agreeable. To
this taking of money (for when it came to Verena it was as if it came to
her as well) she herself was now completely inured; money was a
tremendous force, and when one wanted to assault the wrong with every
engine one was happy not to lack the sinews of war. She liked her
hostess better this morning than she had liked her before; she had more
than ever the air of taking all sorts of sentiments and views for
granted between them; which could only be flattering to Olive so long as
it was really Mrs. Burrage who made each advance, while her visitor sat
watchful and motionless. She had a light, clever, familiar way of
traversing an immense distance with a very few words, as when she
remarked, "Well, then, it is settled th