tallness showed to advantage as she walked, and that she looked well as
she passed, with her head thrown back, into the darkness of the other
part of the house. There was something rather marked, rather
surprising--I scarcely knew why, for the act in itself was simple
enough--in her acceptance of such a plea, and perhaps it was our sense of
this that held the rest of us somewhat stiffly silent as she remained
away. I was waiting for Mrs. Mavis to go, so that I myself might go; and
Mrs. Nettlepoint was waiting for her to go so that I mightn't. This
doubtless made the young lady's absence appear to us longer than it
really was--it was probably very brief. Her mother moreover, I think,
had now a vague lapse from ease. Jasper Nettlepoint presently returned
to the back drawing-room to serve his companion with our lucent syrup,
and he took occasion to remark that it was lovely on the balcony: one
really got some air, the breeze being from that quarter. I remembered,
as he went away with his tinkling tumbler, that from _my_ hand, a few
minutes before, Miss Mavis had not been willing to accept this innocent
offering. A little later Mrs. Nettlepoint said: "Well, if it's so
pleasant there we had better go ourselves." So we passed to the front
and in the other room met the two young people coming in from the
balcony. I was to wonder, in the light of later things, exactly how long
they had occupied together a couple of the set of cane chairs garnishing
the place in summer. If it had been but five minutes that only made
subsequent events more curious. "We must go, mother," Miss Mavis
immediately said; and a moment after, with a little renewal of chatter as
to our general meeting on the ship, the visitors had taken leave. Jasper
went down with them to the door and as soon as they had got off Mrs.
Nettlepoint quite richly exhaled her impression. "Ah but'll she be a
bore--she'll be a bore of bores!"

"Not through talking too much, surely."