something to that end. Thus it was that she did on this occasion what
she never did--threw off a "Reply paid?" that sounded officious, but that
she partly made up for by deliberately affixing the stamps and by waiting
till she had done so to give change. She had, for so much coolness, the
strength that she considered she knew all about Miss Dolman.

"Yes--paid." She saw all sorts of things in this reply, even to a small
suppressed start of surprise at so correct an assumption; even to an
attempt the next minute at a fresh air of detachment. "How much, with
the answer?" The calculation was not abstruse, but our intense observer
required a moment more to make it, and this gave her ladyship time for a
second thought. "Oh just wait!" The white begemmed hand bared to write
rose in sudden nervousness to the side of the wonderful face which, with
eyes of anxiety for the paper on the counter, she brought closer to the
bars of the cage. "I think I must alter a word!" On this she recovered
her telegram and looked over it again; but she had a new, an obvious
trouble, and studied it without deciding and with much of the effect of
making our young woman watch her.

This personage, meanwhile, at the sight of her expression, had decided on
the spot. If she had always been sure they were in danger her ladyship's
expression was the best possible sign of it. There was a word wrong, but
she had lost the right one, and much clearly depended on her finding it
again. The girl, therefore, sufficiently estimating the affluence of
customers and the distraction of Mr. Buckton and the counter-clerk, took
the jump and gave it. "Isn't it Cooper's?"

It was as if she had bodily leaped--cleared the top of the cage and
alighted on her interlocutress. "Cooper's?"--the stare was heightened by
a blush. Yes, she had made Juno blush.