scarcely noticeable touch of irony.

The other did not reply, but she looked pained. Then Lydia declared
that she too was weary. They talked little more, though it was a long
time before either got to sleep.

Thyrza saw Grail in the breakfast hour next morning, and received his
advice for the day. Bunce had already conveyed the little box of
Bessie's clothing to the hospital; thence Thyrza and the child would go
in a cab to Victoria.

She was at the hospital by nine o'clock. Bessie, a weakly, coughing
child, who seemingly had but a short term of suffering before her, was
at first very reticent with Thyrza, but when they were seated together
in the train at Victoria, she brightened in the expectation of renewing
her experiences of Mrs. Ormonde's home, and at length talked freely.
Bessie was very old; she had long known the difficulties of a pinched
home, and of her own ailments she spoke with a curious gravity as
little child-like as could be.

'It's my chest as is weak,' she said. 'The nurse says it'll get
stronger as I get older, but it's my belief that it's just the other
way about. You never had a weak chest, had you, Miss Trent? You haven't
that look. I dessay you're always well; I shouldn't mind if I was the
same.' She laughed, and made herself cough. 'I can't see why everybody
shouldn't be well. Father says the world's made wrong, and it seems to
me that's the truth. Perhaps it looks different to you, Miss Trent.'

'You had better call me Thyrza, Bessie. That's my name.'

'Is it? Well, I don't mind, if _you_ don't. I never knew anybody called
Thyrza. But I dessay it's a lady's name. You're a lady, ain't you?'

'No, I'm not a lady. I go to work with Miss Nancarrow. You know her?'

'I can't say as I know her. She lives in the next room to us, but we
don't often speak. But I remember now; I've seen yea on the stairs.'

'Miss Nancarrow has made friends with your brother and sister whilst
you've been in the hospital.'

'Have she now! They didn't tell me about that when they come to see me
last time. I suppose things is all upside down. By rights I'd ought to
have gone home for a day or two, just to see that the room was clean.
Mrs. Larrop comes in wunst a week, you know, she's a charwoman. But I
haven't much trust in her; she's such a one for cat-licking. The
children do make such a mess; I always tell them they'd think twice
about coming in with dirty shoes if only they had the cleaning to see
after.'

Th