d's death," replied the astute Miss Thangue.

"Of course; we all are--poor Bratty! He was rather a bounder, but it is
natural to recall his virtues. Flora, go and tell her I want her to come
for a walk. I can't go to her room myself, and I don't care to send a
servant."

Miss Thangue reflected. Probably this was the most favorable moment for
a repulse that he could have chosen. She was sincerely fond of him and
distrusted Mrs. Kaye as much as she disliked her.

"Very well," she said. "I will see what I can do."

Mrs. Kaye admitted her promptly and presented an unstained front,
although her color was lower than usual. She was a woman of too much
natural and acquired poise to remain askew under any shock. But she had
experienced an hour of mixed emotions in which a confused and wondering
sense of defeat was paramount. It had left her a little aghast, for
although she had met with the inevitable snubs in her upward course, she
rarely permitted them to agitate her memory in these days when she had
grown to believe herself one of the spoiled favorites of destiny; and
her fibres were by no means sensitive. But this sudden blow was a
reminder that fate had been capricious to spoiled darlings before. She
had stood almost motionless before the window from the moment she had
entered her room until Miss Thangue knocked at the door, and by that
time she had repoised herself and set her heavy mouth in a hard line as
she reflected upon her own will as a factor in any game with life.

"Jack wants you to go for a walk," announced Miss Thangue, who saw no
occasion for subtlety.

"That means he intends to propose again," said Mrs. Kaye, in her
carefully modulated voice. "I don't know that I care about it. I have
letters to write."

"Why not get it over? You could compel him to believe, if you chose,
that you have no intention of marrying him, and it would be rather a
kindness; he has so much else to think about, and he certainly should
have a free mind before the opening of Parliament. If you really did
Jack any harm," she added, deliberately, "Vicky would never forgive
you--nor a good many others."

"I wouldn't do him any harm for the world," said Mrs. Kaye, casting down
her eyes and looking very young and innocent. "But I should hate to give
him up. After all, there is no one half so interesting. Well, I'll go
down and have it over."

A few moments later she joined Gwynne at the foot of the staircase, and
they went out to th