own that Ben would have been there, or your friend Tom
Tringle?"

There was much more of it, but the upshot was,--as the Colonel had
intended that it should be,--that Lady Albury was made to understand
that Ayala's good-will was essential to his happiness. "Of course
I will do my best," she said, as he parted from her. "Though I am
not quite as much in love with her myself as you are, yet I will
do my best." Then when she was left alone, and was prosecuting her
inquiries about the new cook, and travelling back in the afternoon
to Stalham, she again considered how wonderful a thing it was such a
girl as Ayala, so small, apparently so unimportant, so childish in
her manner, with so little to say for herself, should become a person
of such terrible importance.

The twentieth came, and at ten minutes before two Ayala was at the
Paddington Railway Station. The train, which was to start at 2.15,
had been chosen by herself so that she might avoid the Colonel, and
there she was, with her aunt, waiting for it. Mrs. Dosett had thought
it to be her duty to see her off, and had come with her in the cab.
There were the two boxes laden with her wardrobe, such as it was.
Both she and her aunt had worked hard; for though,--as she had
declared to herself,--there was no special reason for it, still she
had wished to look her best. As she saw the boxes put into the van,
and had told herself how much shabbier they were than the boxes of
other young ladies who went visiting to such houses as Stalham,
she rejoiced that Colonel Stubbs was not there to see them. And
she considered whether it was possible that Colonel Stubbs should
recognise a dress which she had worn at Stalham before, which was
now to appear in a quite altered shape. She wondered also whether it
would be possible that Colonel Stubbs should know how poor she was.
As she was thinking of all this there was Colonel Stubbs on the
platform.

She had never doubted but that little plan would be efficacious. Nor
had her aunt doubted,--who had seen through the plan, though not a
word had been spoken between them on the subject. Mrs. Dosett had
considered it to be impossible that a Colonel engaged on duties of
importance at Aldershot should run away from them to wait upon a
child like Ayala,--even though he had professed himself to be in love
with the child. She had never seen the Colonel, and on this occasion
did not expect to see him. But there he was, all suddenly, shaking
hands