rnoon.

Trust an actress to know how to dress for any possible occasion! When he
called for her, he found her attired in a most charming costume; though,
to be sure, when she was at last ready to go, he may have thought her
furs a trifle too magnificent for her height. They drove in a hansom to
Bond Street. There were few people in the rooms, certainly no one whom
he knew; she could study those gorgeous treasures of embroidery from
Italy and the East, he could examine the swords and daggers and coats of
mail, as they pleased. And when they had lightly glanced round the
rooms, he was for getting away again; but she was bent on remaining
until the world should arrive, and declared that she had not half
exhausted the interest of the various cases.

As it chanced, the first persons he saw whom he knew were Miss Georgie
Lestrange and her brother; and Miss Georgie, not perceiving that any one
was with him (for Miss Burgoyne was at the moment feasting her eyes on
some rich-hued Persian stuffs), came up to him.

"Why, Mr. Moore, you have quite disappeared of late," the ruddy-haired
damsel said, quite reproachfully. "Where have you been? What have you
been doing?"

"Don't you ever read the newspapers, Miss Lestrange?" he said. "I have
been advertised as being on view every night at the New Theatre."

"Oh, I don't mean that. Lady Adela says you have quite forsaken her."

"Is Lady Adela to be here this afternoon?" he asked, in an off-hand way.

"Oh, certainly," replied Miss Georgie. "She is going everywhere just
now, in order to put everything into her new novel. It is to be a
perfectly complete picture of London life as we see it around us."

"That is, the London between Bond Street and Campden Hill?"

"Oh, well, all London is too big for one canvas. You must cut it into
sections. I dare say she will take up Whitechapel in her next book."

Miss Burgoyne turned from the glass case to seek her companion, and
seemed a little surprised to find him talking to these two strangers. It
was the swiftest glance; but Miss Georgie divined the situation in an
instant.

"Good-bye for the present," she said, and she and her brother passed on.

And now he was more anxious than ever to get away. If Lady Adela and her
sisters were coming to this exhibition, was it not highly probable that
Honnor Cunyngham might be of the party? He did not wish to meet any one
of them; especially did he not care to meet them while he was acting as
esco