ul--if she were different. I
had moments of almost hating her until one day not long ago she did
something so bewitchingly kind and understanding of other people's
feelings that I gave up. It was clever, too," with a laugh, "clever and
daring. If she were a young man she would make a dashing soldier."

She did not give him the details of the story, but went on to say
in effect what she had said to Betty herself of the inevitable
incidentalness of her stay in the country. If she had not evidently come
to Stornham this year with a purpose, she would have spent the season
in London and done the usual thing. Americans were generally presented
promptly, if they had any position--sometimes when they had not. Lady
Alanby had heard that the fact that she was with her sister had awakened
curiosity and people were talking about her.

"Lady Alanby said in that dry way of hers that the arrival of an
unmarried American fortune in England was becoming rather like the visit
of an unmarried royalty. People ask each other what it means and begin
to arrange for it. So far, only the women have come, but Lady Alanby
says that is because the men have had no time to do anything but stay
at home and make the fortunes. She believes that in another generation
there will be a male leisure class, and then it will swoop down too, and
marry people. She was very sharp and amusing about it. She said it would
help them to rid themselves of a plethora of wealth and keep them from
bursting."

She was an amiable, if unsentimental person, Mary Lithcom--and was,
quite without ill nature, expressing the consensus of public opinion.
These young women came to the country with something practical
to exchange in these days, and as there were men who had certain
equivalents to offer, so also there were men who had none, and whom
decency should cause to stand aside. Mount Dunstan knew that when she
had said, "Who is there who is suitable?" any shadow of a thought of
himself as being in the running had not crossed her mind. And this was
not only for the reasons she had had the ready composure to name, but
for one less conquerable.

Later, having left Mary Lithcom, he decided to take a turn by himself.
He had done his duty as a masculine guest. He had conversed with young
women and old ones, had danced, visited gardens and greenhouses, and
taken his part in all things. Also he had, in fact, reached a point when
a few minutes of solitude seemed a good thing. He