Instead of trying how far she could place her chair from us, she set it down as near us as politeness permitted.

She entered into conversation whenever an opening afforded itself, and we two stood off haughtily.

She even ventured to question me about our relation to one another: "Miss Wade is your cousin, I suppose ?" she suggested.
"Oh, dear, no," I answered, with a glassy smile.

"We are not connected in any way." "But you are travelling together!" "Merely as you and I are travelling together--fellow-passengers on the same steamer." "Still, you have met before." "Yes, certainly.

Miss Wade was a nurse at St.Nathaniel's, in London, where I was one of the house doctors.