the pressure of occupations so characteristic of her (especially when up
from Mattapoisett for a few hours' desperate shopping) from herself
calling in the course of the day to explain who they were and what was
the favour they had to ask of her benevolent friend. Good-natured women
understand each other even when so divided as to sit residentially above
and below the salt, as who should say; by which token our hostess had
quickly mastered the main facts: Mrs. Allen's visit that morning in
Merrimac Avenue to talk of Mrs. Amber's great idea, the classes at the
public schools in vacation (she was interested with an equal charity to
that of Mrs. Mavis--even in such weather!--in those of the South End) for
games and exercises and music, to keep the poor unoccupied children out
of the streets; then the revelation that it had suddenly been settled
almost from one hour to the other that Grace should sail for Liverpool,
Mr. Porterfield at last being ready. He was taking a little holiday; his
mother was with him, they had come over from Paris to see some of the
celebrated old buildings in England, and he had telegraphed to say that
if Grace would start right off they would just finish it up and be
married. It often happened that when things had dragged on that way for
years they were all huddled up at the end. Of course in such a case she,
Mrs. Mavis, had had to fly round. Her daughter's passage was taken, but
it seemed too dreadful she should make her journey all alone, the first
time she had ever been at sea, without any companion or escort. _She_
couldn't go--Mr. Mavis was too sick: she hadn't even been able to get him
off to the seaside.

"Well, Mrs. Nettlepoint's going in that ship," Mrs. Allen had said; and
she had represented that nothing was simpler than to give her the girl in
charge. When Mrs. Mavis had replied that this was all very well but that
she didn't know the lady, Mrs. Allen had declared that that didn't make a
speck of difference, for Mrs. Nettlepoint was kind enough for anything.