"How nice you are," said Molly; "we don't feel now as though we were afraid of you." "Afraid of me," said Angela. "Why should you be that?" "Only, somehow, you belong to a better set." "Please, don't talk nonsense," said Angela, with the first note of wounded dignity in her voice. "I have come here to make myself useful. Can I be useful?" "It is so delightful to have you--" "That's not the point; can I be useful?" Molly looked puzzled. "We'll have supper presently," she said. "I'll go and speak to Susan. I'll be back in a minute." She turned away. Of course, Angela could not be useful--the mere thought was profanation. She had come there to be waited on, to be worshipped, to be looked at, to be adored, Angela St Just, the most beautiful, the most aristocratic girl in the entire neighbourhood! Ethel drew nearer to Angela. "I have been at Court Prospect to-day," said Angela. "Why, that was your old place." "It was." "Did you find it much changed--_bourgeois_, and all that?" said Ethel. "Nothing could really change the old place to me; but I would rather not talk of what the Carters have done." "I am sure it must have given you profound agony," said Ethel. Angela faintly coloured, and then she said: "Tell me about your little sister, the one about whom you are so anxious." "Oh, Nesta! Nesta's all right." "Then she has come back?" "No; she hasn't come back; we can't imagine where she is." "Then how can you say she is all right?" "She is always all right; she is the sort that turns up when you least expect her. She is not specially good," continued Ethel, who felt that she might revenge herself on Nesta's many slights by giving Angela as poor an opinion of her as possible. She did not want Angela to like Nesta better than her. She had dim ideas of possible visits for herself to Hurst Castle. Could she possibly manage the dress part? She was intensely anxious now to lead the conversation away from Nesta to more profitable themes. "You must have a good many people staying at Hurst Castle," she said. "My uncle has some guests, naturally. But tell me about your sister. When did she go?" "I wish I could tell you. I don't know." "You don't know? But surely you can guess!" Molly came in at that moment. She had made a frantic effort to order a supper which would be proper to set before so distinguished a guest. A fowl had been hastily popped into the oven--that would be something. People in Angela's class, for all Molly knew to the contrary, lived on fowls. "Molly, when did we see Nesta last?" asked Ethel. "She was here at breakfast. I just saw her when she was rushing out of the room. I was rather late. Why do you ask?" "Miss St Just was anxious to know." "We are all troubled about your sister," said Angela. "Oh, I'm not troubled," said Molly. "Nor I," said Ethel. But Ethel was quick to read disapproval in Angela's soft eyes.