youth, and, with a furtive
glance at the stranger in the corner, took out a looking-glass and
carefully surveyed her hair, pulling it out here, tucking it in there,
patting it into position with those deft little touches which come
naturally to a girl, but which seem so mysterious to a masculine
observer.

The young man in the corner glanced across the carriage with an
expression of lordly amusement at the foibles of a member of the weaker
sex; and there was even worse to come, for when Mollie, in her turn, had
arranged her hair, a cloth brush was produced to remove the dust of
travel, and two pairs of well-worn dogskin gloves were thrown into the
bag, and replaced by others immaculately new.

Mollie was absolutely without embarrassment in these attentions to her
toilet, but it required a little resolution on Ruth's part to ignore the
stranger's presence. Only the reflection, "We will never see him
again!" supported her through the critical moments during which she
trained a fascinating little curl into position on her temple, conscious
meantime of a steady scrutiny from behind the newspaper.

It was something of a shock to see the stranger rise from his seat a
moment later, and begin making those preparations which showed that he
also was approaching his destination; but, although he alighted at
Nosely Station, he had disappeared from sight while the girls were still
looking after their luggage, and when they took their seats in the
carriage which was waiting to convey them to the Court there was no sign
of him on platform or road.

"That's a comfort!" remarked Mollie thankfully. "I am glad he did not
see where we were going. How superior he looked when we were prinking,
Ruth! I don't like him a bit--do you?"

"Oh, I don't know--I can't think! I'm Berengaria, Mollie! I never
_was_ a poor girl travelling third-class, and changing her gloves at the
last moment! I must have been a duchess in my last incarnation, for I
feel so thoroughly at home in an atmosphere of luxury!" sighed Ruth,
leaning back against the cushions, and glancing languidly from side to
side. "Our luggage is following behind in the cart. I hope it will
arrive soon, for I want to change my blouse. I suppose we shall have
tea in the hall with the rest of the house-party, as they do in books,
but I hope they won't be assembled when we enter. I should feel awful
walking in, and knowing that they were all staring and criticising our
appearan