"How nice! I didn't know there were any ladies on the London press, except, of course, the fashion-papers, but that isn't quite the same, is it ?" When Miss Halifax said "How nice!" it indicated a strong degree of interest.

The threads of Miss Halifax's imagination were perpetually twisting themselves about incidents that had the least unusualness, and here was a most unusual incident, with beauty and genius thrown in! Whether she could approve it or not in connection with Kendal, Miss Halifax would decide afterward.

She told herself that she ought to be sufficiently devoted to Kendal to be magnanimous about his friends.

Her six years of seniority gave her the candor to confess that she was devoted to Kendal--to his artistic personality, that is, and to his pictures.

While Kendal turned a still uncomfortable back upon them, showing Lady Halifax what he had done since she had been there last--she was always pitiless in her demands for results--Elfrida talked a little about "the press" to Miss Halifax.