I'm sure, often suffer from hunger. I couldn't
give money--for one thing, I have very little, and then it's so
demoralising, and one never knows whether the people will be
offended--but I sat down and told the poor woman all about the Prologue
to the Canterbury Tales, and you can't think how interested she was,
and how grateful! It quite brightened the day for her. One felt one had
done _some_ good."

There was silence. Lady Ogram looked admiringly at the girl. If anyone
else had talked to her in this way, no vehemence of language would have
sufficed to express her scorn; but in May Tomalin such ideals seemed to
her a very amiable trait. She was anxious to see everything May said or
did in a favourable light.

"Have you tried the effect of music?" asked Constance, gravely, when
Miss Tomalin chanced to regard her.

"Oh, we haven't forgotten that. Next winter we hope to give a few
concerts in a schoolroom. Of course it must be really good music; we
shan't have anything of a popular kind--at least, we shan't if my view
prevails. It isn't our object to _amuse_ people; it would be really
humiliating to play and sing the kind of things the ignorant poor like.
We want to train their intelligence. Some of our friends say it will be
absurd to give them classical music, which will weary and discontent
them. But they must be made to understand that their weariness and
discontent is _wrong_. We have to show them how bad and poor their
taste is, that they may strive to develop a higher and nobler. I, for
one, shall utterly decline to have anything to do with the concerts if
the programme doesn't consist exclusively of the really great, Bach and
Beethoven and so on. Don't you agree with me?"

"In principle," replied Lady Ogram, "certainly. We shall have lots of
things to talk about, I see."

"I delight in talk about serious things!" cried May.

But Lady Ogram's physical strength was not equal to the excitement she
had gone through. Long before dinner-time her voice failed, and she had
no choice but to withdraw into privacy, leaving Constance Bride to play
the hostess. Alone with a companion of not much more than her own age,
Miss Tomalin manifested relief; she began to move about, looking at
things with frank curiosity, and talking in a more girlish way. The
evening was cloudy, and did not tempt forth, but May asked whether they
could not walk a little in the garden.

"This is a beautiful place! I shall enjoy myself here trem