Soph was afraid she had pulled the rope just a trifle
too tight, and that it was snapping before her eyes; she was picturing a
flight back to America, and envisaging her brother's disappointment and
wrath. Out of the abundance of her own content the girl vouchsafed a
generous compassion.

"Yes, I'm off, Aunt Soph! My friends, the Moffatts, are putting up at
the Ritz for a week, and want to have me come and fly round with them.
They are going to meet me at four o'clock this afternoon, to be ready
for a theatre to-night. I've got to be off at once. Mason's getting
ready some lunch."

Miss Briskett stood severely erect, considering the situation. Now that
the great anxiety was removed, the former irritation revived.

"And pray, who are the Moffatts? I must know something more about them
before I can give my consent to this visit!"

Cornelia handed a pile of cardboard boxes into Mary's hands.

"Take that hat-box downstairs, and pack these on the tray. Don't muss
them about! Then you can come back to finish off."

She waited until the door was safely closed, then faced her aunt across
the bed. "I'm pleased to answer your questions as well as I know how.
The Moffatts are--the Moffatts! I guess that's about all their family
history, so far as I'm concerned. They came over with me, and Mrs
Moffatt was real kind looking after me when I first came on deck, and
was feeling pretty cheap. We saw quite a good deal of each other after
that, and she said she'd love to have me do the sights with her
sometime. She was going straight through to Paris, to get fixed up with
clothes. Now it seems she's back in London. I gave her my address, and
she wires me to come."

"You spoke of `the Moffatts.' Who are the other members of the party?"

"There's a husband, of course, but he's not much account, except to pay
the bills. He must be pretty cashy, for she has everything she wants,
but it gets on her nerves having him poking round all the while. That's
one reason why she wants me. I could always keep him quiet!"

The complacent gurgle, the jaunty tilt of the head were as fuel to the
spinster's indignation. She pressed her lips tightly together before
putting the final question.

"And your father knows nothing--nothing whatever of these people?"

"Well, I guess I may have mentioned their names. He didn't know
anything about them before that."

"And you propose to stay at a London hotel with the casual acquaintan