efore one moved. Compared with her father and Mr.
Manning and the men in "fixed" positions generally that she knew,
Ramage, presented by himself, had a fine suggestion of freedom, of
power, of deliberate and sustained adventure....

She was particularly charmed by his theory of friendship. It was really
very jolly to talk to a man in this way--who saw the woman in her and
did not treat her as a child. She was inclined to think that perhaps
for a girl the converse of his method was the case; an older man, a
man beyond the range of anything "nonsensical," was, perhaps, the most
interesting sort of friend one could meet. But in that reservation it
may be she went a little beyond the converse of his view....

They got on wonderfully well together. They talked for the better part
of an hour, and at last walked together to the junction of highroad
and the bridle-path. There, after protestations of friendliness and
helpfulness that were almost ardent, he mounted a little clumsily and
rode off at an amiable pace, looking his best, making a leg with
his riding gaiters, smiling and saluting, while Ann Veronica turned
northward and so came to Micklechesil. There, in a little tea and
sweet-stuff shop, she bought and consumed slowly and absent-mindedly the
insufficient nourishment that is natural to her sex on such occasions.

CHAPTER THE FOURTH

THE CRISIS

Part 1

We left Miss Stanley with Ann Veronica's fancy dress in her hands and
her eyes directed to Ann Veronica's pseudo-Turkish slippers.

When Mr. Stanley came home at a quarter to six--an earlier train by
fifteen minutes than he affected--his sister met him in the hall with
a hushed expression. "I'm so glad you're here, Peter," she said. "She
means to go."

"Go!" he said. "Where?"

"To that ball."

"What ball?" The question was rhetorical. He knew.

"I believe she's dressing up-stairs--now."

"Then tell her to undress, confound her!" The City had been thoroughly
annoying that day, and he was angry from the outset.

Miss Stanley reflected on this proposal for a moment.

"I don't think she will," she said.

"She must," said Mr. Stanley, and went into his study. His sister
followed. "She can't go now. She'll have to wait for dinner," he said,
uncomfortably.

"She's going to have some sort of meal with the Widgetts down the
Avenue, and go up with them.

"She told you that?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"At tea."

"But why didn't you prohibit once for al