a moment to accentuate their movement
and their play. This effect of her was as of many women,
approaching, withdrawing, and sliding again into view, till you were
aware with a sort of shock that it was one woman, Philippa Tarrant,
all the time, and that all the play and all the movement were
concentrated on one man, Laurence Furnival.

She never let him alone for a minute. He tried, to do him justice he
tried--Straker saw him trying--to escape. But, owing to Miss
Tarrant's multiplicity and omnipresence, he hadn't a chance. You saw
him fascinated, stupefied by the confusion and the mystery of it.
She carried him off under Mrs. Viveash's unhappy nose. Wherever she
went she called him, and he followed, flushed and shamefaced. He
showed himself now pitifully abject, and now in pitiful revolt. Once
or twice he was positively rude to her, and Miss Tarrant seemed to
enjoy that more than anything.

Straker had never seen Philippa so uplifted. She went like the
creature of an inspiring passion, a passion moment by moment
fulfilled and unappeased, renascent, reminiscent, and in all its
moments gloriously aware of itself.

The pageant of Furnival's subjugation lasted through the whole of
Friday evening. All Saturday she ignored him and her work on him.
You would have said it had been undertaken on Mrs. Viveash's
account, not his, just to keep Mrs. Viveash in her place and show
her what she, Philippa, could do. All Sunday, by way of revenge,
Furnival ignored Miss Tarrant, and consoled himself flagrantly with
Mrs. Viveash.

It was on the afternoon of Sunday that Mr. Higginson was seen
sitting out on the terrace with Miss Tarrant. Reggy Lawson had
joined them, having extricated himself with some dexterity from the
toils of the various ladies who desired to talk to him. His attitude
suggested that he was taking his dubious chance against Mr.
Higginson. It was odd that it should be dubious, Reggy's chance; he
himself was so assured, so engaging in his youth and physical
perfection. Straker would have backed him against any man he knew.

Fanny Brocklebank had sent Straker out into the rose garden with
Mary Probyn. He left Miss Tarrant on the terrace alone with Mr.
Higginson and Reggy. He left her talking to Mr. Higginson, listening
to Mr. Higginson, behaving beautifully to Mr. Higginson, and
ignoring Reggy. Straker, with Mary Probyn, walked round and round
the rose garden, which was below Miss Tarrant's end of the terrace,
and