er's your own affair. I'm only WITH you both
on it, whatever it is." Strether, at this, while their eyes met,
slowly folded the missive and put it in his pocket; after which, before
he had spoken again, Chad broke fresh ground. "Has Miss Gostrey come
back?"

But when Strether presently spoke it wasn't in answer. "It's not, I
gather, that your mother's physically ill; her health, on the whole,
this spring, seems to have been better than usual. But she's worried,
she's anxious, and it appears to have risen within the last few days to
a climax. We've tired out, between us, her patience."

"Oh it isn't YOU!" Chad generously protested.

"I beg your pardon--it IS me." Strether was mild and melancholy, but
firm. He saw it far away and over his companion's head. "It's very
particularly me."

"Well then all the more reason. Marchons, marchons!" said the young
man gaily. His host, however, at this, but continued to stand agaze;
and he had the next thing repeated his question of a moment before.
"Has Miss Gostrey come back?"

"Yes, two days ago."

"Then you've seen her?"

"No--I'm to see her to-day." But Strether wouldn't linger now on Miss
Gostrey. "Your mother sends me an ultimatum. If I can't bring you I'm
to leave you; I'm to come at any rate myself."

"Ah but you CAN bring me now," Chad, from his sofa, reassuringly
replied.

Strether had a pause. "I don't think I understand you. Why was it
that, more than a month ago, you put it to me so urgently to let Madame
de Vionnet speak for you?"

"'Why'?" Chad considered, but he had it at his fingers' ends. "Why
but because I knew how well she'd do it? It was the way to keep you
quiet and, to that extent, do you good. Besides," he happily and
comfortably explained, "I wanted you really to know her and to get the
impression of her--and you see the good that HAS done you."

"Well," said Strether, "the way she has spoken for you, all the
same--so far as I've given her a chance--has only made me feel how much
she wishes to keep you. If you make nothing of that I don't see why
you wanted me to listen to her."

"Why my dear man," Chad exclaimed, "I make everything of it! How can
you doubt--?"

"I doubt only because you come to me this morning with your signal to
start."

Chad stared, then gave a laugh. "And isn't my signal to start just
what you've been waiting for?"

Strether debated; he took another turn. "This last month I've been
awaiting, I t