."

Gwen tried to get at more about her past; but, at some point antecedent
to this parting from her son, she seemed to become more reserved, or
possibly she had overtasked her strength by so much talk. Gwen noticed
that, in all she had told her, she had not mentioned a single name of a
person. Some slight reference to Australia, which she had hoped would
lead naturally to more disclosure, seemed rather, on second thoughts, to
furnish a landmark or limit, with the inscription: "Thus far and no
farther." You--whoever you are, reading this--may wonder why Gwen, who
had so lately heard of Australia, and Mrs. Marrable's sister who went
there over half-a-century ago, did not forthwith put two and two
together, and speculate towards discovery of the truth. It may be
strange to you to be told that she _was_ reminded of old Mrs. Marrable's
utterance of the word "Australia" when old Mrs. Prichard spoke it, and
simply let the recollection drop idly, _because_ it was so unlikely the
two two's would add up. To be sure, she had quite forgotten, at the
moment, _what_ the old Granny at Chorlton had said about the Antipodes.
It is only in books that people remember all through, quite to the end.

Bear this in mind, that this sisterhood of Maisie and Phoebe was
entrenched in its own improbability, and that one antecedent belief of
another mind at least would have been needed to establish it. A hint, a
suggestion, might have capitalised a dozen claims to having said so all
along. But all was primeval silence. There was not a murmur in Space to
connect the two.

* * * * *

Mr. Bartlett, the builder, after inspecting the collapse of the wall,
lost no time in drawing up a contract to reinstate same and make good
roof, replacing all defective work with new where necessary; only in his
haste to come to his impressive climax--"the work to be done to the
satisfaction of yourself or your Surveyor for the sum of L99.8.4
(ninety-nine pounds eight shillings and fourpence),"--he spelt this last
word _nesseracy_. He called on the landlord, the gentleman of
independent means at Brixton, with this document in his pocket and a
strong conviction of his own honesty in his face, and pointed out that
what he said all along had come to pass. As his position had been that
unless the house was rebuilt--by him--at great expense, it was pretty
sure to come tumbling down, as these here old houses mostly did, it was
difficult for