tle girl who sat before him, he began to
talk, to relate his travels, giving, in particular, a vivid account of
some months he had once spent in Japan. Laura, who liked nothing better
than travelling at second hand--since any other way was out of the
question--Laura spent a delightful hour, and said so.

"Yes, Robby quite surpassed himself to-night, I thought," said Isabella
as she let down her hair. "I never heard anyone who could talk as well
as he does when he likes.--Can you keep a secret, Laura? We are sure,
Maisie and I, that Robby will be a Bishop some day. And he means to be,
himself.--But don't say a word about it; he won't have it mentioned out
of the house.--And meanwhile he's working as hard as he can, and we're
saving every penny, to let him take his next degree."

"I do hope you'll come again," she said the following morning, as they
walked back to the College. "I don't mind telling you now, I felt quite
nervous when Robby said we were to ask you. I've had no experience of
little girls. But you haven't been the least trouble--not a bit. And
I'm sure it was good for Robby having something young about the house.
So mind you write and tell us when you have another holiday"--and
Isabella's smile beamed out once more, none the less kindly because it
was caught, on its way to Laura, by the gate they were passing through.

Laura, whose mind was set on a good, satisfying slab of cake, promised
to do this, although her feelings had suffered so great a change that
she was not sure whether she would keep her word. She was pulled two
ways: on the one side was the remembrance of Mr. Shepherd hacking
cantankerously at the bare mutton-bone; on the other, the
cherry-blossom and the mousmes of Japan.

XVII.

OHNMACHT ZUR LUGE IST LANGE NOCH NICHT LIEBE ZUR WAHRHEIT.... WER NICHT
LUGEN KANN, WEISS NICHT, WAS WAHRHEIT IST.

NIETZSCHE

A pantomime of knowing smiles and interrogatory grimaces greeted her,
when, having brushed the cake-crumbs from her mouth, she joined her
class. For the twinkling of an eye Laura hesitated, being unprepared.
Then, however, as little able as a comic actor to resist pandering to
the taste of the public, she yielded to this hunger for spicy
happenings, and did what was expected of her: clapped her hands, one
over the other, to her breast, and cast her eyes heavenwards. Curiosity
and anticipation reached a high pitch; while Laura, by tragically
shaking her head, gave it to be unde