. She was evidently expecting no very
civil reception, and she seemed to face the room with hostility and no
very ready eagerness to please.

The effect on the room was marked. Mrs. le Terry stopped speaking for
a moment and rustled her skirts with a movement of displeasure, the
Miss Ponsonbys clutched their teacups even tighter than before and
their brows became more clouded, the Miss Werrels smiled confidentially
at each other as though they shared some secret, and even Robin made a
slight instinctive movement of displeasure.

Harry felt at once an impulse of sympathy towards the girl. It was
almost as if this sudden hostility had made them friends: he liked that
independence of her carriage, the pride in her eyes. Mrs. le Terry's
voice broke upon his ears.

"Which must be, Mr. Trojan, extraordinarily provoking. To go there, I
mean, and find absolutely no one in--all that way, too, and a horribly
wet night, and no train until nine o'clock."

In his endeavours to pick up the thread of the conversation he lost
sight of their meeting with Clare.

She, indeed, had greeted them with all the Trojan coldness; nothing
could have been more sternly formal than her "Ah! Mrs. Bethel, I'm so
glad that you were able to come. So good of you to trouble to call.
Won't you have some tea? Do find a seat somewhere, Miss Bethel. I
hope you won't mind our all having finished."

Harry was introduced and took them their tea. It was obvious that, for
some reason unknown to him, their presence there was undesired by all
the company present, including Clare herself. He also knew
instinctively that their coming there had been some act of daring
bravery, undertaken perhaps with the hope that, after all, it might not
be as they had feared.

The old lady's hand trembled as she took her teacup; the colour had
fled from her face, and she sat there white and shaking. As Harry bent
over her with the scones, he saw to his horror that a tear was
trembling on her eyelid; her throat was moving convulsively.

At the same instant he knew that the girl's eyes were fixed upon his;
he saw them imploring, beseeching him to help them. It was a difficult
situation, but he smiled back at the girl and turned to the old lady.

"Do try these scones, Mrs. Bethel," he said; "they are still hot and I
can recommend them strongly. I'm so glad to meet you; my sister told
me only this morning that she hoped you would come this afternoon, as
she wante