winced
slightly, and involuntarily thrust out her other hand, as if to relieve
his pressure. As she did so the blanket fell away from her head and
shoulders. Lambert, with excellent intuition, caught it, and threw it
across his arm. Then, quickly, and without embarrassment, he and Mrs.
Townley greeted General Armour, who returned the greetings gravely, but
in a singular, confidential tone, which showed his gratitude. Then
he raised his hat again to Lali, and said: "Come and let me introduce
you--to your husband's mother."

The falling back of that blanket had saved the situation; for when the
girl stood without it in her buckskin garments there was a dignity in
her bearing which carried off the bizarre event. There was timidity in
her face, and yet a kind of pride too, though she was only a savage. The
case, even at this critical moment, did not seem quite hopeless. When
they came to Mrs. Armour, Lali shrank away timidly from the look in the
mother's eyes, and, shivering slightly, looked round for her blanket.
But Lambert had deftly passed it on to the footman. Presently Mrs.
Armour took both the girl's hands in hers (perhaps she did it because
the eyes of the public were on her, but that is neither here nor
there--she did it), and kissed her on the cheek. Then they moved away to
a closed carriage.

And that was the second act in Frank Armour's comedy of errors.

CHAPTER IV. IN THE NAME OF THE FAMILY

The journey from Liverpool to Greyhope was passed in comparative
silence. The Armours had a compartment to themselves, and they made
the Indian girl as comfortable as possible without self-consciousness,
without any artificial politeness. So far, what they had done was a
matter of duty, not of will; but they had done their duty naturally
all their lives, and it was natural to them now. They had no personal
feelings towards the girl one way or another, as yet. It was trying to
them that people stared into the compartment at different stations. It
presently dawned upon General Armour that it might also be trying
to their charge. Neither he nor his wife had taken into account the
possibility of the girl having feelings to be hurt. But he had noticed
Lali shrink visibly and flush slightly when some one stared harder
than usual, and this troubled him. It opened up a possibility. He began
indefinitely to see that they were not the only factors in the equation.
He was probably a little vexed that he had not seen it befo