y!" said Gwen, "there wasn't to be anything till
the Day of Judgment."

"I wish you wouldn't drag in Religion," said her mother. "You pick up
these dreadful Freethinking ways of speech from ..."

"From Adrian? Of course I do. But _you_ began it, by talking about Death
and Ghosts."

"My dear, neither Death nor Ghosts are Religion, but the Day of Judgment
is. Ask anybody!"

"Very well, then! Cut the Day of Judgment out, and go on with Death and
Ghosts."

"We will talk," said the Countess coldly, "of something else. I do not
like the tone of the conversation. What are your plans for to-morrow?"

"I don't think I shall go to Chorlton to-morrow. I shall leave the old
ladies alone for a while. I think it's the best way. Don't you?"

"I don't think it can matter much, either way." The Countess was not
going to come down from Olympus, for trifles. "But what _are_ you going
to do to-morrow? Go to church, I _suppose_?"

"Is it necessary to settle?"

"By no means. Perhaps I was wrong in taking it for granted. No doubt I
should have done well--in your case--to ask for information. _Are_ you
going to church?"

"Possibly. I can settle when the time comes." Her mother made no reply,
but she made it so ostentatiously that to skip off to another subject
would have been to accept a wager of battle. Gwen was prepared to be
conciliatory. "Is anything coming off?" she asked irreverently. "Any
Bishop or anything?"

Her mother replied, with a Pacific Ocean of endurance in her
voice:--"Dr. Tuxford Somers is preaching at the Abbey. If you come, pray
do not be late. The carriage will be ready at a quarter to ten."

"Well--I shall have to go once or twice, so I suppose now will do for
once. There's Christmas Day, of course--I don't mind that. I shall go to
Chorlton, and look at the two old ladies in church. I hope Mrs. Picture
will be well enough by then."

"I am sure I hope so. A whole week!" The Countess's _parti pris_, that
the experience of the old twins was nothing to make such a fuss over,
showed itself plainly in this. She passed on to a more important
subject. "I understand," said she, "that you intend to go to Pensham on
Monday--and stay!"

"I do," said Gwen uncompromisingly. But her mother's expression became
so stony that Gwen anticipated her spoken protest, saying:--"Now, mamma
dear, you know I've agreed, and we are to go abroad for six whole
months. So don't look like a martyr!"

"When will you be back?" said the