sphere subtly changed, though neither
exactly realized that it had done so.

"Well, I'm afraid I must be going now, Miss Temple," said Caroline.
"Thank you very much indeed for letting me see your things." And she
moved towards the door.

"You are forgetting your handkerchiefs," said Laura, pressing them into
Caroline's hand. "Do have them, just to please me. But you must have
a cup of tea before you go. It is all ready."

With that she led the way into the sitting-room, and Caroline lacked
the social address to disentangle herself from the situation without
being actually rude. She did not want to be that, therefore followed
Laura, and as they went into the room Wilson rose from a seat by the
window. But his heavy figure was silhouetted with a sort of hazy,
golden outline against the strong afternoon light, and so she could not
see his expression.

"Been viewing the marvels upstairs, Miss Raby?" he said easily, as she
shook hands with Miss Panton. "Take this comfortable chair, won't you?
It must be an exhausting job."

"No, have this; you'll find it much nicer," said Laura, laughing. But
as they stood together, making much of Caroline, she saw that the chair
Wilson had indicated was evidently one sacred to himself. The long,
low seat, and the small table near containing cigarettes, ash-trays,
pipes, and other conveniences, all pointed to the same care on the part
of these two women.

Caroline sat down on the chair offered by Laura and crossed her feet
with aggressive nonchalance because she was feeling nervous. "Anyway,
this is a good deal different to mine on the prom.," she said, suddenly
anxious to let Miss Panton clearly understand that she was the girl on
the promenade, and not Miss Wilson's servant.

Miss Panton looked at her over the teacups and said: "Sugar? Bilk?"
with the catarrh very much in evidence.

"I didn't tell you, Miss Raby, did I, that Miss Panton has given me a
foot-muff for the car?" said Laura, speaking rather quickly, conscious
of some odd constraint in the air. "We are going for a motor tour in
the Lake District for our honeymoon. Every one says it is ideal in
September. I have never been, oddly enough."

"Well, the glut of honeymooning couples in the Lakes is now a thing of
the past," said Wilson, smiling at his future bride. "There was a time
when a certain hotel at Windermere swarmed with them, I believe.
Everybody looking out of their eye-corners at breakfast time