anybody else.'

'But you'll do your best to make him?'

'I don't know that I shall bother much. It's his own lookout. I shall
know what he means if he goes wrong again.'

'But--'

'Well? What?'

'You hope he'll keep his promise?' Thyrza said, bending a little
nearer, and dropping her eyes as soon as she had spoken.

'H'm. Yes. Perhaps I do,' said Totty, putting her head on one side. And
forthwith she began to hum a tune, which however, she checked the next
moment, remembering Nelly.

'But you speak in a queer way, Totty.'

'So do you, Thyrza. What are you bothering about?'

Again she searched Thyrza's face, this time with something very curious
in her gaze, a kind of suspicion one would have said.

'I--I like to know about you,' Thyrza said, with embarrassment.

'I've told you all there is to tell.'

'But you haven't told me really whether--Do you,' she sank her voice
still lower, 'do you love him, Totty?'

A singular flush came and went upon the other girl's face. She herself
was little disposed to use sentimental words, and it was the first time
that Thyrza had done so to her. The coarseness she heard from certain
of her companions did not abash her, but this word of Thyrza's seemed
to do so strangely. She looked up in a moment. Thyrza's face was
agitated.

'What does that matter?' Totty said, in a rather hard voice. And she
added, drawing herself up awkwardly, 'You've made your own choice,
Thyrza.'

For an instant surprise held Thyrza mute; then she exclaimed:

'But, Totty, you don't think--? I was thinking of you, dear; only of
you. You never supposed I--Oh, say you didn't think that, Totty!'

Totty relaxed her muscles a little. She smiled, shook her head, laughed
uneasily.

'I meant, dear,' Thyrza continued, 'that I hope you do love him, as
you're going to marry him. I hope you love him very much, and I hope he
loves you. I'm sorry I said that. I thought you wouldn't mind.'

'I don't mind at all, old dear. If you _must_ know--I like him pretty
well.'

'But it ought to be _more_ than that--it ought, Totty--much more than
that, dear--'

She was trembling. Totty looked at her in surprise, coldly.

'Don't go on like that,' she said. 'There, you've woke the child, of
course! Now there'll be two of you crying. See which can make most
noise. Now, Nelly! Well, I call this nice!

At the sound of the child's voice, Thyrza at once restrained herself
and rose from her chair. Totty managed to qui