It had struck her, promptly, that this renewal, with an old friend, of the old terms she had talked of with her father, was the one opening, for her spirit, that wouldn't too much advertise or betray her.

Even her father, who had always, as he would have said, "believed in" their ancient ally, wouldn't necessarily suspect her of invoking Fanny's aid toward any special inquiry--and least of all if Fanny would only act as Fanny so easily might.

Maggie's measure of Fanny's ease would have been agitating to Mrs.Assingham had it been all at once revealed to her--as, for that matter, it was soon destined to become even on a comparatively graduated showing.

Our young woman's idea, in particular, was that her safety, her escape from being herself suspected of suspicion, would proceed from this friend's power to cover, to protect and, as might be, even showily to represent her--represent, that is, her relation to the form of the life they were all actually leading.

This would doubtless be, as people said, a large order; but that Mrs.Assingham existed, substantially, or could somehow be made prevailingly to exist, for her private benefit, was the finest flower Maggie had plucked from among the suggestions sown, like abundant seed, on the occasion of the entertainment offered in Portland Place to the Matcham company.