The whole exhibition however was but a matter of three or four minutes, and the author of it had soon explained that, as Madame de Vionnet was immediately going "on," this could be for Jeanne but a snatch.

They would all meet again soon, and Strether was meanwhile to stay and amuse himself--"I'll pick you up again in plenty of time." He took the girl off as he had brought her, and Strether, with the faint sweet foreignness of her "Au revoir, monsieur!" in his ears as a note almost unprecedented, watched them recede side by side and felt how, once more, her companion's relation to her got an accent from it.

They disappeared among the others and apparently into the house; whereupon our friend turned round to give out to little Bilham the conviction of which he was full.

But there was no little Bilham any more; little Bilham had within the few moments, for reasons of his own, proceeded further: a circumstance by which, in its order, Strether was also sensibly affected.
III Chad was not in fact on this occasion to keep his promise of coming back; but Miss Gostrey had soon presented herself with an explanation of his failure.

There had been reasons at the last for his going off with ces dames; and he had asked her with much instance to come out and take charge of their friend.