and vanishing
afterwards; and Mrs. Ferris was occupied elsewhere most of the time;
while between Mary and herself there was absolutely nothing in common.
Mary, though only the senior by two or three years, was not only
clever, but very intelligent and well read, and she had plenty of
conversation. But the subjects for which she cared, though they would
have delighted Joan, were utter tedium to Mittie's empty little head.

Before an hour had passed, Mary's boredom was only less pronounced than
Mittie's own.

It was so tiresome, so stupid of Joan not to come! Mittie complained
bitterly to herself of this. If Joan had come too, all would have gone
well. She could not help seeing that she had not been meant to come
without Joan, still less instead of Joan.

With all her assurance, this realisation that she was not wanted and
that everybody was regretting Joan's absence made her horribly
uncomfortable.

When left alone for a few minutes, early in the afternoon, she tugged
angrily at her gloves, and muttered: "I wish I wasn't here. I wish I had
left it to Joan. I think they are all most awfully frumpish and stupid,
and I can't imagine what makes Joan so fond of them!"

But she did not yet blame herself.

* * * * *

Five o'clock was the time fixed for return. Had Joan come it would have
been much later.

At tea-time Fred turned up, and it appeared that he meant to get off the
return-row up the river. He had engaged a boatman to do it in his stead.
Mary would still go, and though Mittie proudly said it did not matter,
she wouldn't in the least mind being alone, Mary only smiled and held to
her intention.

But long before this stage of proceedings everybody was tired--Mary and
Mittie especially, the one of entertaining, the other of being
entertained.

Mary had tried every imaginable thing she could think of to amuse the
young guest, and every possible subject for talk. They seemed to have
arrived at the end of everything, and it took all Mittie's energies to
keep down, in a measure, her recurring yawns. Mary did her best, but
she found Mittie far from interesting.

When at length they started for the riverside, Fred went with the two
girls to see them off; and Mittie felt like a prisoner about to be
released.

She was so eager to escape that she ran ahead of her companions towards
the landing-place, and Mary dryly remarked in an undertone: "Mittie has
had about enough of us, I th