re to share her own life."

Mitchy looked at it. "But is this the way for her to share yours?"

"Ah that's another matter--about which you must talk to HER. She wants
me no longer to keep seeing only with her eyes. She's throwing me into
the world."

Mitchy had listened with the liveliest interest, but he presently broke
into a laugh. "What a good thing then that I'm there to catch you!"

Without--it might have been seen--having gathered the smallest
impression of what they enclosed, she carefully drew together again the
covers of her folio. There was deliberation in her movements. "I shall
always be glad when you're there. But where do you suppose they've
gone?" Her eyes were on what was visible of the other room, from which
there arrived no sound of voices.

"They're off there," said Mitchy, "but just looking unutterable things
about you. The impression's too deep. Let them look, and tell me
meanwhile if Mrs. Donner gave you my message."

"Oh yes, she told me some humbug."

"The humbug then was in the tone my perfectly sincere speech took from
herself. She gives things, I recognise, rather that sound. It's her
weakness," he continued, "and perhaps even one may say her danger. All
the more reason you should help her, as I believe you're supposed to be
doing, aren't you? I hope you feel you are," he earnestly added.

He had spoken this time gravely enough, and with magnificent gravity
Nanda replied. "I HAVE helped her. Tishy's sure I have. That's what
Tishy wants me for. She says that to be with some nice girl's really the
best thing for her."

Poor Mitchy's face hereupon would have been interesting, would have been
distinctly touching to other eyes; but Nanda's were not heedful of it.
"Oh," he returned after an instant and without profane mirth, "that
seems to me the best thing for any one."

Vanderbank, however, might have caught his expression, for Vanderbank
now reappeared, smiling on the pair as if struck by their intimacy. "How
you ARE keeping it up!" Then to Nanda persuasively: "Do you mind going
to him in there? I want him so really to see you. It's quite, you know,
what he came for."

Nanda seemed to wonder. "What will he do to me? Anything dreadful?"

"He'll tell you what I meant just now."

"Oh," said Nanda, "if he's a person who can tell me sometimes what you
mean--!" With which she went quickly off.

"And can't _I_ hear?" Mitchy asked of his host while they looked after
her.

"Yes, but on