they?" asked Mina.

"Like stamps," explained Miss S., vaguely. "For my part, I think it's
lucky he is what he is. There's been enough of falling in love in the
Tristram family. If you ask me who is in love with her, of course it's
poor young Broadley. Well, you know that, as you're always driving up to
Mingham with her."

"We've only been three or four times, Miss Swinkerton."

"Six, I was told," observed Miss S., with an air of preferring accuracy.
"Oh, I should be very pleased to see him married to Janie--Mr Tristram,
I mean, of course--but she mustn't expect too much, my dear. Where's
your uncle?"

"At Fairholme, I expect," answered the Imp demurely. As a matter of fact
the Major had gone to Exeter on a business errand.

"Fairholme?" Miss S.'s air was significant, Mina's falsehood rewarded.
Mina threw out a smile; her visitor's pursed lips responded to it.

"He goes there a lot," pursued Mina, "to play golf with Mr Iver."

"So I've heard." Her tone put the report in its proper place. To play
golf indeed!

"I think Janie's rather fond of Mr Tristram, anyhow." This was simply a
feeler on Mina's part.

"Well, my dear, the position! Blent's been under a cloud--though people
don't seem to mind that much nowadays, to be sure. But the new Lady
Tristram! They've always been the heads of the neighborhood. She'll have
him, no doubt, but as for being in love with him--well, could you,
Madame Zabriska?"

"Yes," said the Imp, without the least hesitation. "I think he's most
attractive--mysterious, you know. I'm quite taken with him."

"He always looks at me as if I wanted to pick his pocket."

"Well, you generally do--for your charities." The laugh was confined to
Mina herself. "But I know the manner you mean."

"Poor young man! I'm told he's very sensitive about his mother. That's
it perhaps." The guess was at all events as near as gossip generally
gets to truth. "It would make him a very uncomfortable sort of husband
though, even if one didn't mind having that kind of story in the
family."

With a flash of surprise--really she had not been thinking about
herself, in spite of her little attempts to mystify Miss S.--Mina caught
that lady indulging in a very intent scrutiny of her, which gave an
obvious point to her last words and paved the way (as it appeared in a
moment) for a direct approach to the principal object of Miss S.'s
visit. That this object did not come to the front till Miss S. was on
her feet to g