reminder of what they all owed him; for
he truly had been their initiator, the instrument, under providence,
that had opened a great new interest to them, and as she was more
listless about almost anything than at the sight of a person wronged she
winced at his describing himself as disavowed or made light of after the
prize was gained. Her mind had not lingered on her personal indebtedness
to him, for it was not in the nature of her mind to linger; but at
present she was glad to spring quickly, at the first word, into the
attitude of acknowledgement. It had the effect of simplification after
too multiplied an appeal--it brought up her spirits.

"Of course I must be quite square with you," the young man said in a
tone that struck her as "higher," somehow, than any she had ever heard
him use. "If I want to see the picture it's because I want to write
about it. The whole thing will go bang into the Reverberator. You must
understand that in advance. I wouldn't write about it without seeing it.
We don't DO that"--and Mr. Flack appeared to speak proudly again for his
organ.

"J'espere bien!" said Francie, who was getting on famously with her
French. "Of course if you praise him Mr. Waterlow will like it."

"I don't know that he cares for my praise and I don't care much whether
HE likes it or not. For you to like it's the principal thing--we must do
with that."

"Oh I shall be awfully proud."

"I shall speak of you personally--I shall say you're the prettiest girl
that has ever come over."

"You may say what you like," Francie returned. "It will be immense fun
to be in the newspapers. Come for me at this hour day after to-morrow."

"You're too kind," said George Flack, taking up his hat. He smoothed it
down a moment with his glove; then he said: "I wonder if you'll mind our
going alone?"

"Alone?"

"I mean just you and me."

"Oh don't you be afraid! Father and Delia have seen it about thirty
times."

"That'll be first-rate. And it will help me to feel, more than anything
else could make me do, that we're still old friends. I couldn't bear the
end of THAT. I'll come at 3.15," Mr. Flack went on, but without even yet
taking his departure. He asked two or three questions about the hotel,
whether it were as good as last year and there were many people in
it and they could keep their rooms warm; then pursued suddenly, on a
different plane and scarcely waiting for the girl's answer: "And now for
instance are they ver