fascinating, gifted, capricious woman of the
world, beating the wings of her thwarted love of beauty against cruel
circumstance. I noticed his attitude as soon as I mentioned to him
that Lorraine had by chance discovered that he and my aunt were old
acquaintances. He said that he would be very much interested in seeing
her again. As he happened at the moment to be looking over a packet
of postals announcing his series of talks on 'Script,' he asked me her
address, called his stenographer, and had it added to his mailing-list.
But before the postal reached her she had called him up to tell him she
had lately heard of his work and of him for the first time after all
these years, through Lorraine, and to ask him to come to see her.
His call, I am sure, they spent in a rich mutual misunderstanding as
thoroughly satisfactory to both as any one could wish. For, as I say, on
my last visit in the Crafts neighborhood she was taking tea with all of
them and Dr. Denbigh."

"Dr. Denbigh!" I repeated, in surprise. "Oh, Charles, are any of them
not well?"

"No, no. I think he's been in New York"--he gave a groan--"on account
of some delicate finesse on Maria's part, some incomprehensible plan of
hers for bringing Goward back here. The worst of it is that, like all
her plans, I believe it's going to be perfectly successful."

"What do you mean?" I asked, in consternation.

"From every natural portent, I think that horrid infant in arms was,
when I left New York, about to cast his handkerchief or rattle toward
Peggy again. I'm morally certain that he and all his odious emotional
disturbances will be presenting themselves for her consideration in
Eastridge before long; and, since they strike me as quite too odious for
the nicest girl in the world, I hope, before they reach here, she'll be
far away--absolutely out of reach."

"I hope so, too." But as I said it, for the first time there came around
me, like a blank, rising mist, the prospect of a journey farther and a
longer separation than any I had before imagined between us.

"I knew you'd think so. That was, partly, why I acted as I did, for her,
dear mother"--he leaned forward a little toward me and took up one end
of the ruffle I was stitching again to cover my excitement--"and for
Lorraine and for me, in engaging our passage abroad."

He seemed not to expect me to speak at once, but after a little quiet
pause, while we both sat thinking, went on, with great gentleness: "You