sed her eyebrows. Her
eyebrows were often slightly raised as if inquiring into the state of
the world with sympathy tinged with surprise. She raised her eyebrows
instead of making any reply, as if she said: "I could make a retort, but
I am far too busy with more important matters."

The Warden at last moved, and putting a chair between the two ladies he
seated himself exactly opposite the glowing fire and the portrait above
it. Leaning back, he smoked in silence for a few moments looking
straight in front of him for the most part, only now and then turning
his eyes to Mrs. Dashwood, just to find out if her eyebrows were still
raised.

Lady Dashwood began smiling at her book because she had discovered that
she held it upside down.

"You were interested in Stockwell?" said the Warden suddenly. "He is
doing multifarious things now. He is an accomplished linguist, and we
couldn't manage without him--besides he is over military age by a long
way."

Lady Dashwood felt quite sure that his silence had been occupied by the
Warden in thinking of May, so that his question, "You were interested,"
etc., was merely the point at which his thoughts broke into words.

"I was very much interested in him," said May. "It was like reading a
witty book--only much more delightful."

"Stockwell is always worth listening to," said the Warden, "but he is
sometimes very silent. He needs the right sort of audience to draw him
out. Two or three congenial men--or one sympathetic woman." Here the
Warden paused and looked away from May Dashwood, then he added: "I'm
obliged to go to Cambridge to-morrow. You will be at Chartcote and you
will get some amusement out of Boreham. You find everybody interesting?"
He turned again and looked at her--this time so searchingly that a
little colour rose in May Dashwood's cheek.

"Oh, not everybody," she said. "I wish I could!"

"My dear May," said Lady Dashwood, briskly seizing this brilliant
opportunity of pointing the moral and adorning the tale, "even you can't
pretend to be interested in little Gwendolen, though you have done your
best. Now that you have seen something of her, what do you think of
her?"

"Very pretty," said May Dashwood, and she became busy again with her
work.

"Exactly," said Lady Dashwood. "If she were plain even Belinda would not
have the impertinence to deposit her on people's doorsteps in the way
she does."

The Warden took his cigar out of his mouth, as if he had suddenly