s, however, disturbed as she
reached the sidewalk by the rapid approach of a hansom which pulled up at
sight of her.

From beneath its luggage-laden top, she caught the wave of a signalling
hand; and the next moment Mrs. Fisher, springing to the street, had
folded her in a demonstrative embrace.

"My dear, you don't mean to say you're still in town? When I saw you the
other day at Sherry's I didn't have time to ask----" She broke off, and
added with a burst of frankness: "The truth is I was HORRID, Lily, and
I've wanted to tell you so ever since."

"Oh----" Miss Bart protested, drawing back from her penitent clasp; but
Mrs. Fisher went on with her usual directness: "Look here, Lily, don't
let's beat about the bush: half the trouble in life is caused by
pretending there isn't any. That's not my way, and I can only say I'm
thoroughly ashamed of myself for following the other women's lead. But
we'll talk of that by and bye--tell me now where you're staying and what
your plans are. I don't suppose you're keeping house in there with Grace
Stepney, eh?--and it struck me you might be rather at loose ends."

In Lily's present mood there was no resisting the honest friendliness of
this appeal, and she said with a smile: "I am at loose ends for the
moment, but Gerty Farish is still in town, and she's good enough to let
me be with her whenever she can spare the time."

Mrs. Fisher made a slight grimace. "H'm--that's a temperate joy. Oh, I
know--Gerty's a trump, and worth all the rest of us put together; but A
LA LONGUE you're used to a little higher seasoning, aren't you, dear?
And besides, I suppose she'll be off herself before long--the first of
August, you say? Well, look here, you can't spend your summer in town;
we'll talk of that later too. But meanwhile, what do you say to putting a
few things in a trunk and coming down with me to the Sam Gormers'
tonight?"

And as Lily stared at the breathless suddenness of the suggestion, she
continued with her easy laugh: "You don't know them and they don't know
you; but that don't make a rap of difference. They've taken the Van
Alstyne place at Roslyn, and I've got CARTE BLANCHE to bring my friends
down there--the more the merrier. They do things awfully well, and
there's to be rather a jolly party there this week----" she broke off,
checked by an undefinable change in Miss Bart's expression. "Oh, I don't
mean YOUR particular set, you know: rather a different crowd, but very
goo