she had seen it rise prompted Mrs. Jordan to dash, a bit wildly, at
something, at anything, that might attenuate criticism. "Lady Bradeen's
re-arranging--she's going to be married."

"Married?" The girl echoed it ever so softly, but there it was at last.

"Didn't you know it?"

She summoned all her sturdiness. "No, she hasn't told me."

"And her friends--haven't they?"

"I haven't seen any of them lately. I'm not so fortunate as you."

Mrs. Jordan gathered herself. "Then you haven't even heard of Lord
Bradeen's death?"

Her comrade, unable for a moment to speak, gave a slow headshake. "You
know it from Mr. Drake?" It was better surely not to learn things at all
than to learn them by the butler.

"She tells him everything."

"And he tells _you_--I see." Our young lady got up; recovering her muff
and her gloves she smiled. "Well, I haven't unfortunately any Mr. Drake.
I congratulate you with all my heart. Even without your sort of
assistance, however, there's a trifle here and there that I do pick up. I
gather that if she's to marry any one it must quite necessarily be my
friend."

Mrs. Jordan was now also on her feet. "Is Captain Everard your friend?"

The girl considered, drawing on a glove. "I saw, at one time, an immense
deal of him."

Mrs. Jordan looked hard at the glove, but she hadn't after all waited for
that to be sorry it wasn't cleaner. "What time was that?"

"It must have been the time you were seeing so much of Mr. Drake." She
had now fairly taken it in: the distinguished person Mrs. Jordan was to
marry would answer bells and put on coals and superintend, at least, the
cleaning of boots for the other distinguished person whom she might--well,
whom she might have had, if she had wished, so much more to say to. "Good-
bye," she added; "good-bye."

Mrs. Jordan, however, again taking her muff from her, turned it over,
brushed it off and thoughtfully peeped into it. "Tell me this before you
go. You spoke just now of your own changes. Do you mean that Mr.
Mudge--?"

"Mr. Mudge has had great patience with me--he has brought me at last to
the point. We're to be married next month and have a nice little home.
But he's only a grocer, you know"--the girl met her friend's intent
eyes--"so that I'm afraid that, with the set you've got into, you won't
see your way to keep up our friendship."

Mrs. Jordan for a moment made no answer to this; she only held the muff
up to her face, afte