lined to follow her. "The
very end of what?"

She took her choice as amid all the wonderful directions there might be,
and then seemed both to risk and to reserve something. "Say of her so
wonderfully successful _general_ career."

It doubtless, however, warranted him in appearing to cut insinuations
short. "When you're as clever as she you'll be as good." To which he
subjoined: "You don't begin to have the opportunity of knowing how good
she is." This pronouncement, to whatever comparative obscurity it might
appear to relegate her, his interlocutress had to take--he was so prompt
with a more explicit challenge. "What is it exactly that you suppose
yourself to know?"

Lady Sandgate had after a moment, in her supreme good humour, decided
to take everything. "I always proceed on the assumption that I know
everything, because that makes people tell me."

"It wouldn't make we," he quite rang out, "if I didn't want to! But as
it happens," he allowed, "there's a question it would be convenient
to me to put to you. You must be, with your charming unconventional
relation with him, extremely in Theign's confidence."

She waited a little as for more. "Is that your question--_whether_ I
am?"

"No, but if you are you'll the better answer it"

She had no objection then to answering it beautifully. "We're the best
friends in the world; he has been really my providence, as a lone woman
with almost nobody and nothing of her own, and I feel my footing here,
as so frequent and yet so discreet a visitor, simply perfect But I'm
happy to say that--for my pleasure when I'm really curious--this doesn't
close to me the sweet resource of occasionally guessing things."

"Then I hope you've ground for believing that if I go the right way
about it he's likely to listen to me."

Lady Sandgate measured her ground--which scarce seemed extensive. "The
person he most listens to just now--and in fact at any time, as you must
have seen for yourself--is that arch-tormentor, or at least beautiful
wheedler, his elder daughter."

"Lady Imber's _here?_" Lord John alertly asked.

"She arrived last night and--as we've other visitors--seems to have set
up a side-show in the garden."

"Then she'll 'draw' of course immensely, as she always does. But her
sister won't be in that case with her," the young man supposed.

"Because Grace feels herself naturally an independent show? So she well
may," said Lady Sandgate, "but I must tell you that when I la