found a strange
expression in them. 'Has Miss Mavis commissioned you to make this
inquiry?'

'Never in the world.'

'Well then, I don't understand it.'

'It isn't from another I make it. Let it come from yourself--_to_
yourself.'

'Lord, you must think I lead myself a life! That's a question the young
lady may put to me any moment that it pleases her.'

'Let me then express the hope that she will. But what will you answer?'

'My dear sir, it seems to me that in spite of all the titles you have
enumerated you have no reason to expect I will tell you.' He turned away
and I exclaimed, sincerely, 'Poor girl!' At this he faced me again and,
looking at me from head to foot, demanded: 'What is it you want me to
do?'

'I told your mother that you ought to go to bed.'

'You had better do that yourself!'

This time he walked off, and I reflected rather dolefully that the only
clear result of my experiment would probably have been to make it vivid
to him that she was in love with him. Mrs. Nettlepoint came up as she
had announced, but the day was half over: it was nearly three o'clock.
She was accompanied by her son, who established her on deck, arranged
her chair and her shawls, saw that she was protected from sun and wind,
and for an hour was very properly attentive. While this went on Grace
Mavis was not visible, nor did she reappear during the whole afternoon.
I had not observed that she had as yet been absent from the deck for so
long a period. Jasper went away, but he came back at intervals to see
how his mother got on, and when she asked him where Miss Mavis was he
said he had not the least idea. I sat with Mrs. Nettlepoint at her
particular request: she told me she knew that if I left her Mrs. Peck
and Mrs. Gotch would come to speak to her. She was flurried and fatigued
at having to make an effort, and I think that Grace Mavis's choosing
this occasion for retirement suggested to her a little that she had been
made a fool of. She remarked that the girl's not being there showed her
complete want of breeding and that she was really very good to have put
herself out for her so; she was a common creature and that was the end
of it. I could see that Mrs. Nettlepoint's advent quickened the
speculative activity of the other ladies; they watched her from the
opposite side of the deck, keeping their eyes fixed on her very much as
the man at the wheel kept his on the course of the ship. Mrs. Peck
plainly meditated an app