their own sake; the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick-maker were
necessary evils, to be put out of mind as soon as possible. She learned
incidentally that Reuben had been a great deal from home; but this did
not surprise her. She had never imagined him leading a methodical life,
between Belsize Park and the British Museum. That was not in his nature.

At the usual hour she had luncheon. Shortly after, when her patience
was yielding to fears--fears which, in truth, she had only masked with
the show of explanation--a letter was brought in. But nothing to the
purpose. It came from Zillah Denyer, who began with apologies for
writing, and expressed uncertainty whether Mrs. Elgar had yet returned
from abroad; then went on to say that her sister Madeline had been
suffering dreadfully of late. "Perhaps you know that Mrs. Travis has
left us. Madeline has missed her company very much, and often longs to
see the face of some visitor. She speaks of the one visit you paid her,
and would so like to see you again. Forgive me for asking if you could
spare half an hour. The evening is best; I venture to say this, as you
came in the evening before."

Cecily forgot herself for a few minutes in sorrows graver than her own.
Her impression after the one visit had been that Madeline would not
greatly care for her to repeat it; this, it seemed, was a mistake. So
Mrs. Travis had left her lodgings? She heard of it for the first time.

About half-past three there sounded the knock of a visitor at the house
door. Expecting no one, Cecily had given no directions; the
parlour-maid hurried upstairs to ask if she was "at home." She replied
that the name must first be announced to her.

It was Mrs. Travis. Cecily hesitated, but decided to receive her.

Though the intercourse between them had been resumed, it was with a
restraint on both sides that seemed to forbid the prospect of
friendship. They had met two or three times only; once it was in the
Denyers' house, and on that occasion Cecily had renewed her
acquaintance with the family and sat a little with Madeline. Interest
in each other they certainly felt, but not in like degrees; Mrs. Travis
showed herself more strongly attracted to Cecily than Cecily was to
her, as it had been from the first. That this was the attraction of
simple liking and goodwill, Cecily could never quite convince herself.
Mrs. Travis always seemed to be studying her, and sometimes in a spirit
of curiosity that was