Cowperwood saw at first glance that she fulfilled all the promise of her picture, and was delighted.

She had, he thought, a strange, shrewd, intelligent smile, which, however, was girlish and friendly.

Without so much as a glance in his direction she came forward, extending her arms and hands in an inimitable histrionic manner, and exclaimed, with a practised and yet natural inflection: "Mother, dear! So here you are really! You know, I've been thinking of you all morning.

I wasn't sure whether you would come to-day, you change about so.

I think I even dreamed of you last night." Her skirts, still worn just below the shoe-tops, had the richness of scraping silk then fashionable.