s it is, my dear," he interrupted
himself with a laugh, "I show you often enough what grabs I make for
support." He gave a faint gasp, half amusement, half anguish, then
abruptly relieved himself by a question. "To whom in point of fact does
the place belong?"

"I'm awfully ashamed, but I'm afraid I don't know. That just came up
here," the girl went on, "for Mr. Van."

Mr. Longdon seemed to think an instant. "Oh it came up, did it? And Mr.
Van couldn't tell?"

"He has quite forgotten--though he has been here before. Of course it
may have been with other people," she added in extenuation. "I mean it
mayn't have been theirs then any more than it's Mitchy's."

"I see. They too had just bundled in."

Nanda completed the simple history. "To-day it's Mitchy who bundles, and
I believe that really he bundled only yesterday. He turned in his people
and here we are."

"Here we are, here we are!" her friend more gravely echoed. "Well, it's
splendid!"

As if at a note in his voice her eyes, while his own still strayed
away, just fixed him. "Don't you think it's really rather exciting?
Everything's ready, the feast all spread, and with nothing to blunt
our curiosity but the general knowledge that there will be people
and things--with nothing but that we comfortably take our places." He
answered nothing, though her picture apparently reached him. "There ARE
people, there ARE things, and all in a plenty. Had every one, when you
came away, turned up?" she asked as he was still silent.

"I dare say. There were some ladies and gentlemen on the terrace whom
I didn't know. But I looked only for you and came this way on an
indication of your mother's."

"And did she ask that if you should find me with Mr. Van you'd make him
come to her?"

Mr. Longdon replied to this with some delay and without movement. "How
could she have supposed he was here?"

"Since he had not yet been to the house? Oh it has always been a wonder
to me, the things that mamma supposes! I see she asked you," Nanda
insisted.

At this her old friend turned to her. "But it wasn't because of that I
got rid of him."

She had a pause. "No--you don't mind everything mamma says."

"I don't mind 'everything' anybody says: not even, my dear, when the
person's you."

Again she waited an instant. "Not even when it's Mr. Van?"

Mr. Longdon candidly considered. "Oh I take him up on all sorts of
things."

"That shows then the importance they have for you. Is HE l