She has a child's engaging way of rubbing herself up against one when
she wants to be particularly ingratiating.

"It was so nice to dine with you on Saturday."

"Really?"

"Oh, ye-es. When are you going to let me dine with you again, to show me
you have forgiven me?"

A hansom cab offers peculiar facilities for the aforesaid process of
ingratiation.

"You shall dine with me this evening," said I, and Carlotta cooed with
pleasure.

I perceive that she is gradually growing westernised.

July 8th.

In obedience to a peremptory note from Judith, I took Carlotta this
afternoon to Tottenham Mansions. I shook hands with my hostess, turned
round and said

"This, my dear Judith, is Carlotta."

"I am very pleased to see you," said Judith.

"So am I," replied Carlotta, not to be outdone in politeness.

She sat bolt upright, most correctly, on the edge of a chair, and
responded monosyllabically to Judith's questions. Her demeanour could
not have been more impeccable had she been trained in a French convent.
Just before we arrived, she had been laughing immoderately because I had
ordered her to spit out a mass of horrible sweetmeat which she had found
it impossible to masticate, and she had challenged me to extract it with
my fingers. But now, compared with her, Saint Nitouche was a Maenad. I
was entertained by Judith's fruitless efforts to get behind this wall of
reserve. Carlotta said, "Oh, ye-es" or "No-o" to everything. It was
not a momentous conversation. As it was Carlotta in whom Judith was
particularly interested, I effaced myself. At last, after a lull in the
spasmodic talk, Carlotta said, very politely:

"Mrs. Mainwaring has a beautiful house."

"It's only a tiny flat. Would you like to look over it?" asked Judith,
eagerly, flashing me a glance that plainly said, "Now that I shall have
her to myself, you may trust me to get to the bottom of her."

"I would like it very much," said Carlotta, rising.

I held the door open for them to pass out, and lit a cigarette.
When they returned ten minutes afterwards, Carlotta was smiling and
self-possessed, evidently very well pleased with herself, but Judith had
a red spot on each of her cheeks.

The sight of her smote me with an odd new feeling of pity. I cannot
dismiss the vision from my mind. All the evening I have seen the two
women standing side by side, a piteous parable. The light from the
window shone full upon them, and the dark curtain of the door