my since his school days."

"I remember Miss Clynesworth," suggested Bridget.

"His sister--or, rather, his half-sister. She might be his mother by
the way she tries to look after him."

"Does he require a lot of looking after?" asked Bridget.

"Oh, I don't know," said Carrissima. "He is one of those men who
somehow give you the impression they could do wonderful things, and if
they would. He is immensely rich and nice-looking, as you say, and
people do their best to spoil him. I won't insist that they have
succeeded. Anyhow, he is immensely good to Sybil. Her father was a
physician, and she lost her mother when she was a small child. When
she was about ten Doctor Clynesworth married again. His second wife
was very wealthy, and, to judge by her portrait at Upper Grosvenor
Street, she must have been a beautiful woman. All her money went to
her only son--Jimmy, but Doctor Clynesworth had very little to leave to
Sybil. Jimmy insisted that she should continue to live at the house in
which her father had practised, and he is immensely fond of her
although they are about as different as any two persons can possibly
be. Should you," asked Carrissima, "like me to ask her to come and see
you?"

"Do you think she would?" said Bridget, returning the photograph to the
table.

"I am certain she would be delighted, especially if I explain that you
have no one to chaperon you," replied Carrissima, whereupon Bridget
smiled as if she were quite convinced of her ability to take care of
herself. On saying "Good-bye" Carrissima made a point of urging her to
come to Grandison Square as often as she felt inclined, and from that
time forth she regarded Miss Rosser with curiously mingled sensations.

While it proved difficult to refrain from liking the girl, with her
frank joyousness, her youthful zest in life, the possession of such
qualities furnished an additional excuse for that jealousy which still
dominated Carrissima's waking thoughts. Without forming any definite
design, the idea certainly occurred to her that Mark might come to
occupy a smaller space in Bridget's sphere of things, if only she knew
a few more of his kind.

The following afternoon Carrissima, according to her promise, went to
Upper Grosvenor Street, where lived Sybil Clynesworth and, when he
pleased, Jimmy. He had, however, a country house at Atlinghurst, and
when he stayed in London sometimes preferred a room at one of his
clubs, to that which h