"Do so, by all means."

As if more completely to dismiss the unpleasant subject, they walked
into another room. Hilliard began to speak again of his scheme for
providing a place where they could meet and talk at their ease. Eve
now entered into it with frank satisfaction.

"Have you said anything yet to Mr. Narramore?" she asked at length.

"No. I have never felt inclined to tell him. Of course I shall some
day. But it isn't natural to me to talk of this kind of thing, even
with so intimate a friend. Some men couldn't keep it to themselves:
for me the difficulty is to speak."

"I asked again, because I have been thinking--mightn't Mr.
Narramore be able to help me to get work?"

Hilliard repelled the suggestion with strong distaste. On no account
would he seek his friend's help in such a matter. And Eve said no
more of it.

On her return journey to Dudley, between eight and nine o'clock, she
looked cold and spiritless. Her eyelids dropped wearily as she sat
in the corner of the carriage with some papers on her lap, which
Hilliard had given her. Rain had ceased, and the weather seemed
turning to frost. From Dudley station she had a walk of nearly half
an hour, to the top of Kate's Hill.

Kate's Hill is covered with an irregular assemblage of old red-tiled