a good word for him."

"As long as that's understood, she does him no harm. We discount all you
say, Miss Quisante."

The Dean's affability was thrown away on Aunt Maria.

"I know what I'm talking about," she remarked grimly, "and as far as your
Crusade goes, I should think you'd have seen it yourself by now."

The Dean had seen it himself by now, but he did not wish to say so in the
presence of Quisante's wife. May's laugh relieved him a little.

"The Dean's very forgiving," she said, "and Alexander's doing well now,
anyhow, isn't he?"

The Dean agreed that he was doing well now--for in spite of his
disclaimers of partisanship there was a spice of the fighting man in the
Dean--and repeated Lady Castlefort's prophecy, reported to him by Lady
Richard. The rusty black bonnet nodded approvingly. "I knew that was a
sensible woman, in spite of her airs," said Miss Quisante.

Lastly, among those whom Miss Quisante encountered at her nephew's house
was Lady Mildmay, and this interview took a rather more serious turn. In
after days May used to look back to it as the first faint sign of the new
factor which from now began to make itself felt in her life and to become
a very pressing presence to her. She did not enjoy the friendship which
the Mildmays forced on her, but it was impossible to receive it otherwise
than with outward graciousness; the cordiality was so kind, the interest
so frank, Sir Winterton's gallantry so chivalrous, his wife's gentleness
so appealing. When Lady Mildmay was announced May found time for a hasty
whisper to Aunt Maria: "Take care what you say about Alexander before
her." Doubts must not be stirred in the Mildmay mind; the Mildmays must
be kept in their delusion; to help in this was one of the duties of
Quisante's wife.

Lady Mildmay smiled gladly on Aunt Maria.

"I'm so pleased you're here," she said, "because I know you'll second me
in what I'm going to venture to say to Lady May. I know I'm taking a
liberty, but I can't help it. Meeting people now and then, you do
sometimes see what people who are always with them don't. Now don't you,
Miss Quisante?"

"And _vice versa_," murmured Aunt Maria; but May's eye rested on her
warningly, and she refrained from pointing her observation by any
reference to Sandro.

"I'm quite sure your husband is overdoing himself terribly," Lady Mildmay
went on. "I saw him the other day walking through the Park, and he looked
ghastly. I stopped him and told h