ments with other committees, for they were
all busy people. Mary, Mrs. Seal, and Mr. Clacton were left alone; the
room was hot and untidy, the pieces of pink blotting-paper were lying at
different angles upon the table, and the tumbler was half full of water,
which some one had poured out and forgotten to drink.

Mrs. Seal began preparing the tea, while Mr. Clacton retired to his room
to file the fresh accumulation of documents. Mary was too much excited
even to help Mrs. Seal with the cups and saucers. She flung up the
window and stood by it, looking out. The street lamps were already lit;
and through the mist in the square one could see little figures hurrying
across the road and along the pavement, on the farther side. In her
absurd mood of lustful arrogance, Mary looked at the little figures and
thought, "If I liked I could make you go in there or stop short; I could
make you walk in single file or in double file; I could do what I liked
with you." Then Mrs. Seal came and stood by her.

"Oughtn't you to put something round your shoulders, Sally?" Mary asked,
in rather a condescending tone of voice, feeling a sort of pity for the
enthusiastic ineffective little woman. But Mrs. Seal paid no attention
to the suggestion.

"Well, did you enjoy yourself?" Mary asked, with a little laugh.

Mrs. Seal drew a deep breath, restrained herself, and then burst out,
looking out, too, upon Russell Square and Southampton Row, and at the
passers-by, "Ah, if only one could get every one of those people into
this room, and make them understand for five minutes! But they MUST see
the truth some day.... If only one could MAKE them see it...."

Mary knew herself to be very much wiser than Mrs. Seal, and when Mrs.
Seal said anything, even if it was what Mary herself was feeling, she
automatically thought of all that there was to be said against it.
On this occasion her arrogant feeling that she could direct everybody
dwindled away.

"Let's have our tea," she said, turning back from the window and pulling
down the blind. "It was a good meeting--didn't you think so, Sally?" she
let fall, casually, as she sat down at the table. Surely Mrs. Seal must
realize that Mary had been extraordinarily efficient?

"But we go at such a snail's pace," said Sally, shaking her head
impatiently.

At this Mary burst out laughing, and all her arrogance was dissipated.

"You can afford to laugh," said Sally, with another shake of her head,
"but I can'