At this Joost smiled a little; it was only what he expected, and
Julia began tactfully to talk about the beauties of the vase; but
Denah was not to be put off her main point.

"Do you not prefer mine; really and truly, would you not rather it had
been yours?" she asked.

Julia could have slipped out of the answer quite easily; the
Polkingtons were all good at saying things to be interpreted according
to taste; but Joost, with signal idiocy, stepped in and prevented.

"No," he said, "she preferred the photograph; she chose it of the
two."

At this intelligence Denah's face was a study; Julia could not but be
amused by it although she was sorry. She did not want to make the girl
jealous, it was absurd that she should be; but absurdity never
prevents such things, and would not now, nor would it make her
pleasanter if she were once fairly roused. Julia smoothed matters over
as well as she could, which was very well considering, though she
failed to entirely allay Denah's suspicions.

As soon after as she could she set out for the village, leaving the
field to the Dutch girl, and carrying with her enough unpleasant
thoughts on other things to prevent her from giving any more
consideration to the silly spasm of jealousy. She had thrust her two
letters from England into her pocket, and as she went she kept turning
and turning their news in her mind though without much result. There
seemed very little she could do except prevent the banishing of her
father to London. She would write to her mother about that, and, what