a kiss of reconciliation, showed a reprehensible lack of proper
feeling. Miss Briskett was a woman of high principles, and made a point
of forgiving her enemies--slowly! As a preliminary process she demanded
an abject apology, and a period of waiting, during which the culprit was
expected to be devoured by remorse and anxiety. Then, bending from an
impeccable height, she vouchsafed a mitigated pardon. "I forgive you,
but I can never forget!" Some such absolution she would have been ready
to bestow upon a tearful and dejected Cornelia, but the pink and white
complaisance of the uplifted face steeled her heart afresh. She shrank
back in her chair, ignoring the outstretched hand.

"Excuse me, my dear, but I do not care to kiss a person who has just
acknowledged that she has deliberately tried to annoy me. I was
naturally displeased at your rejection of my friend's hospitality, but
it is exceedingly impertinent to compare my behaviour to your own. You
seem to forget that I am your hostess, and nearly three times your age."

"Then you ought to be three times better, oughtn't you?" retorted
Cornelia, blandly. "Well, I'll own up that I'm sorry about Miss
Nesbitt, and I'll be pleased to take tea with her as often as she likes,
but I regret that a previous engagement prevents my going Thursday also.
You tell the old lady from me that I'm real sorry to miss the treat,
and if it will ease her mind any to know that I don't think England's a
patch on America, she's welcome to the information. Elma Ramsden and I
have fixed up a drive to see the country, Thursday afternoon."

Miss Briskett's knitting-needles clinked irritably together. A half
concession was little better than none, and the frivolous tone of
Cornelia's remarks spoke of something far removed from the ideal
repentance. Apart from the question of the tea-party, she disapproved
of two young girls driving about the country unattended, but her courage
shrank from the thought of another battle. She dropped her eyelids, and
replied icily--

"As you have already made your arrangements it is useless for me to
offer any objections. You are evidently determined to take your own way
in spite of anything I can say. I can only trust that no harm may come
of the experiment."

CHAPTER SEVEN.

On Thursday afternoon at three o'clock Cornelia retired to her bedroom,
and with the help of the devoted Mary proceeded to make an elaborate
toilette for the drive. Those