ght and solidity, and that a wife and mother
could pronounce with decision on important subjects where a spinster
would do well to hold her peace. Each was fond of saying, "As a married
woman I think this or that"; yet each was conscious of dislike and
irritation when she heard the other say it. And there is no doubt that
Sybell had been too unwell to appear at Lady Newhaven's garden-party the
previous summer, because Lady Newhaven had the week before advanced her
cherished theory of "one life one love," to the delight of Lord Newhaven
and the natural annoyance of Sybell, whose second husband was at that
moment handing tea and answering "That depends" when appealed to.

"As if," as Sybell said afterwards to Hester, "a woman can help being
the ideal of two men."

"Sybell is such a bore now," continued Lady Newhaven, "that I don't
know what she will be when she is older. I don't know why you go to
Wilderleigh, of all places."

"I go because I am asked," said Rachel, "and partly because I shall be
near Hester Gresley."

"I don't think Miss Gresley can be very anxious to see you, or she would
have come here when I invited her. I told several people she was coming,
and that Mr. Carstairs, who thinks so much of himself, came on purpose
to meet her. It is very tiresome of her to behave like that, especially
as she did not say she had any engagement. You make a mistake, Rachel,
in running after people who won't take any trouble to come and see you.
It is a thing I never do myself."

"She is buried in her book at present."

"I can't think what she has to write about. But I suppose she picks up
things from other people."

"I think so. She is a close observer."

"I think you are wrong there, Rachel, for when she was here some years
ago she never looked about her at all. And I asked her how she judged of
people, and she said, 'By appearances.' Now that was very silly,
because, as I explained to her, appearances were most deceptive, and I
had often thought a person with a cold manner was cold-hearted, and
afterwards found I was quite mistaken."

Rachel did not answer. She wondered in what the gift consisted, which
Lady Newhaven and Sybell both possessed, of bringing all conversation to
a stand-still.

"It seems curious," said Lady Newhaven, after a pause, "how the books
are mostly written by the people who know least of life. Now, the
_Sonnets from the Portuguese_. People think so much of them. I was
looking at them the