the privilege for the purpose of joining a bridge-party was
only one more instance of her deplorable lack of discrimi-
nation.
The ladies were disposed, however, to feel that her depar-
ture—now that she had performed the sole service she
was ever likely to render them—would probably make for
greater order and dignity in the impending discussion,
besides relieving them of the sense of self-distrust which
her presence always mysteriously produced. Mrs. Ball-
inger therefore restricted herself to a formal murmur of
regret, and the other members were just grouping them-
selves comfortably about Osric Dane when the latter, to
their dismay, started up from the sofa on which she had
been seated.
"Oh wait—do wait, and I'll go with you!" she called out
to Mrs. Roby; and, seizing the hands of the disconcert-
ed members, she administered a series of farewell pres-
sures with the mechanical haste of a railway-conductor
punching tickets.
"I'm so sorry—I'd quite forgotten—" she flung back at
them from the threshold; and as she joined Mrs. Roby,
who had turned in surprise at her appeal, the other ladies
had the mortification of hearing her say, in a voice which
she did not take the pains to lower: "If you'll let me walk a
little way with you, I should so like to ask you a few more
questions about Xingu . . ."
HYLAND
