t on the landing, outside Carmina's room. Zo
possessed herself of the bamboo cane, and led the way in. "Carmina!
here's the big stick, I told you about," she announced.

"Whose stick, dear?"

Zo returned to the landing. "Come in, Benjulia," she said--and seized
him by the coat-tails. Mr. Null rose instinctively. Was this his
celebrated colleague?

With some reluctance, Carmina appeared at the door; thinking of the
day when Ovid had fainted, and when the great man had treated her so
harshly. In fear of more rudeness, she unwillingly asked him to come in.

Still immovable on the landing, he looked at her in silence.

The serious question occurred to him which had formerly presented itself
to Mr. Mool. Had Mrs. Gallilee repeated, in Carmina's presence, the lie
which slandered her mother's memory--the lie which he was then in the
house to expose?

Watching Benjulia respectfully, Mr. Null saw, in that grave scrutiny, an
opportunity of presenting himself under a favourable light. He waved his
hand persuasively towards Carmina. "Some nervous prostration, sir, in
my interesting patient, as you no doubt perceive," he began. "Not such
rapid progress towards recovery as I had hoped. I think of recommending
the air of the seaside." Benjulia's dreary eyes turned on him slowly,
and estimated his mental calibre at its exact value, in a moment. Mr.
Null felt that look in the very marrow of his bones. He bowed with
servile submission, and took his leave.

In the meantime, Benjulia had satisfied himself that the embarrassment
in Carmina's manner was merely attributable to shyness. She was now no
longer an object even of momentary interest to him. He was ready to
play with Zo--but not on condition of amusing himself with the child, in
Carmina's presence. "I am waiting till Mrs. Gallilee returns," he said
to her in his quietly indifferent way. "If you will excuse me, I'll go
downstairs again; I won't intrude."

Her pale face flushed as she listened to him. Innocently supposing that
she had made her little offer of hospitality in too cold a manner, she
looked at Benjulia with a timid and troubled smile. "Pray wait here
till my aunt comes back," she said. "Zo will amuse you, I'm sure." Zo
seconded the invitation by hiding the stick, and laying hold again on
her big friend's coattails.

He let the child drag him into the room, without noticing her. The
silent questioning of his eyes had been again directed to Carmina, at
the moment