ut she could not control it.

The next day Mallard brought his picture again to the hotel, and spent
nearly an hour with Mrs. Lessingham and Cecily in their sitting-room.
Miriam heard of this on her return from a. solitary walk, and heard,
moreover, that Mallard had been showing his friends a number of little
drawings which he had never offered to let her or the Spences see. In
the afternoon she again went out by herself, and, whilst looking into a
shop-window in the Piazza di Spagna, became aware of Mallard's face
reflected in the glass. She drew aside before looking round at him.

"That is a clever piece of work," he said, indicating a water-colour in
the window, and speaking as if they had already been in conversation.
He had not even made the hat-salute.

"I thought so," Miriam replied, very coldly, looking at something else.

"Are you going home, Mrs. Baske?"

"Yes. I only came out to buy something."

"I am just going to see the studio of an Italian to whom Mr. Seaborne
introduced me yesterday. It's in the Quattro-Fontane. Would it interest
you?"

"Thank you, Mr. Mallard; I had rather not go this afternoon."

He accepted the refusal with a courteous smile, raised his hat in
approved manner, and turned to cross the Piazza as she went her way.

This evening they had a visit from Seaborne, who met Mrs. Lessingham
and Cecily for the first time. These ladies were predisposed to like
him, and before he left they did so genuinely. In his pleasantly quiet
way, he showed much respectful admiration of Mrs. Elgar.

"Now, isn't there a resemblance to Mr. Mallard?" asked Eleanor, when
the visitor was gone.

"Just--just a little," admitted Cecily, with fastidiousness and an
amused smile. "But Mr. Seaborne doesn't impress me as so original, so
strong."

"Oh, that he certainly isn't," said Spence. "But acuter, and perhaps a
finer feeling in several directions."

Miriam listened, and was tortured.

She had suffered all the evening from observing Cecily, whose powers of
conversation and charms of manner made her bitterly envious. How far
she herself was from this ideal of the instructed and socially trained
woman! The presence of a stranger had banished Cecily's despondent
mood, and put all her capacities in display. With a miserable sense of
humiliation, Miriam compared her own insignificant utterances and that
bright, often brilliant, talk which held the attention of every one.
Beside Cecily, she was still indeed