o a cut direct. But the divine
Julia gave him a look and a smile that were warm enough to make up
for much maternal frigidity.

Later on, in a tobacconist's shop, he again met the Admiral, who
introduced him to the aristocratic old gentleman, Mr. Beresford
Duff, secretary to the Admiralty--who evidently knew all about him,
and inquired quite affectionately after Lady Caroline, and invited
him to come and drink tea at five o'clock: a new form of hospitality
of his own invention--it has caught on!

Barty lunched at the Koenig's Hotel table d'hote, which was crowded,
principally with English people, none of whom he had ever met or
heard of. But from these he heard a good deal of the Royces and
Captain Graham-Reece and Mr. Beresford Duff, and other smart people
who lived in furnished houses or expensive apartments away from the
rest of the world, and were objects of general interest and
curiosity among the smaller British fry.

Riffrath was a microcosm of English society, from the lower middle class
upwards, with all its respectabilities and incompatibilities and
disabilities--its narrownesses and meannesses and snobbishnesses, its
gossipings and backbitings and toadyings and snubbings--delicate little
social things of England that foreigners don't understand!

The sensation of the hour was the advent of Julia, the divine Julia!
Gossip was already rife about her and Captain Reece. They had taken
a long walk in the woods together the day before--with Lady Jane and
the Admiral far behind, out of ear-shot, almost out of sight.

In the afternoon, between four and five, Barty had his interview
with the doctor--a splendid, white-haired old man, of benign and
intelligent aspect, almost mesmeric, with his assistant sitting by
him.

He used no new-fangled ophthalmoscope, but asked many questions in
fairly good French, and felt with his fingers, and had many German
asides with the assistant. He told Barty that he had lost the sight
of his left eye forever; but that with care he would keep that of
the right one for the rest of his life--barring accidents, of
course. That he must never eat cheese nor drink beer. That he (the
doctor) would like to see him once a week or fortnight or so for a
few months yet--and gave him a prescription for an eye-lotion and
dismissed him happy.

Half a loaf is so much better than no bread, if you can only count
upon it!

Barty went straight to Mr. Beresford Duff's, and there found a very
agre