e to
ask her out for a walk.

"I've come to see Carette--Ma'm'zelle Le Marchant, I mean," I stammered,
very red and awkward.

"If you'll come in, I'll tell Miss Mauger," she smiled; and I stepped
inside, and was shown into one of the front rooms with the very straight
curtains. The room inside was very stiff and straight also. It occurred to
me that if all the other rooms were like it Carette must have found them a
very great change from Brecqhou. Perhaps it was living among these things
that had such an effect upon her that she could not shake it off when she
came home for the holidays. The stiff, straight chairs offered me no
invitation to be seated, and I stood waiting in the middle of the room.
Then the door opened, and a little elderly lady came in, and saluted me
very formally with a curtsey bow which rather upset me, for no one had ever
done such a thing to me before. It made me feel awkward and ill at ease.

Miss Mauger seemed to me very like her drawing-room, straight and precise
and stiff. Her face reminded me somewhat of Aunt Jeanne Falla's, but lacked
the kindly twinkle of the eyes which redeemed Aunt Jeanne's shrewdest and
sharpest speeches. She had little fiat rows of grey curls, tight to her
head, on each side of her face, for all the world like little ormer shells
sticking to a stone.

"Monsieur Le Marchant?" she asked.

"No, madame--ma'm'zelle. I am Phil Carre."

"Oh!... You are not then one of Mademoiselle Le Marchant's brothers?"

"No, ma'm'zelle."

"Oh!"

"We have always been friends since we were children," I explained
stumblingly, for her bright little eyes were fixed on me, through her
gold-rimmed spectacles, like little gimlets, and made me feel as if I was
doing something quite wrong in being there.

"Ah!" which seemed to imply that she had suspected something of the kind,
and it was a good thing for Carette that she was safely removed from such
companionship in the future.

"And I am going off on my first voyage to the West Indies--"

"Ah!" in a tone that seemed to say that as far as she and her house were
concerned it was to be hoped I would stop there.

"And I thought I would like to see Carette again before I went--"

"Ah!... And may I ask if you have sought permission from Mademoiselle Le
Marchant's relatives before making this call?"

"Permission?--To see Carette? No, madame--ma'm'zelle. I never dreamt of
such a thing. Permission to see Carette! Ma fe!"

"Ah!" ... ("Wha