every one," said Mrs. Luna. "With her
grace and beauty, her general style, how could she help that?"

"But did she bring them round, did she swell the host that is prepared
to march under her banner?"

"I suppose she saw plenty of the strong-minded, plenty of vicious old
maids, and fanatics, and frumps. But I haven't the least idea what she
accomplished--what they call 'wonders,' I suppose."

"Didn't you see her when she returned?" Basil Ransom asked.

"How could I see her? I can see pretty far, but I can't see all the way
to Boston." And then, in explaining that it was at this port that her
sister had disembarked, Mrs. Luna further inquired whether he could
imagine Olive doing anything in a first-rate way, as long as there were
inferior ones. "Of course she likes bad ships--Boston steamers--just as
she likes common people, and red-haired hoydens, and preposterous
doctrines."

Ransom was silent a moment. "Do you mean the--a--rather striking young
lady whom I met in Boston a year ago last October? What was her
name?--Miss Tarrant? Does Miss Chancellor like her as much as ever?"

"Mercy! don't you know she took her to Europe? It was to form _her_ mind
she went. Didn't I tell you that last summer? You used to come to see me
then."

"Oh yes, I remember," Ransom said, rather musingly. "And did she bring
her back?"

"Gracious, you don't suppose she would leave her! Olive thinks she's
born to regenerate the world."

"I remember you telling me that, too. It comes back to me. Well, is her
mind formed?"

"As I haven't seen it, I cannot tell you."

"Aren't you going on there to see----"

"To see whether Miss Tarrant's mind is formed?" Mrs. Luna broke in. "I
will go if you would like me to. I remember your being immensely excited
about her that time you met her. Don't you recollect that?"

Ransom hesitated an instant. "I can't say I do. It is too long ago."

"Yes, I have no doubt that's the way you change, about women! Poor Miss
Tarrant, if she thinks she made an impression on you!"

"She won't think about such things as that, if her mind has been formed
by your sister," Ransom said. "It does come back to me now, what you
told me about the growth of their intimacy. And do they mean to go on
living together for ever?"

"I suppose so--unless some one should take it into his head to marry
Verena."

"Verena--is that her name?" Ransom asked.

Mrs. Luna looked at him with a suspended needle. "Well! have you
forgot