The other girl fixed her eyes upon her in the waning light. She had not paid so much attention to Frances at first as to the new place and scene. She looked at her now with the air of weighing her in some unseen balance and finding her wanting, with impatience and half contempt. “I thought you would have been glad to see me,” she said; “but the world seems just the same in one place as another. Because I am in distress at home you don’t want me here.” Then Frances felt herself goaded, galled into the matter-of-fact question, “Who are you?” though she felt that she would not believe the answer she received. “Who am I? Don’t you know who I am? Who should I be but Con? Constance Waring, your sister?--Where,” she cried, springing to her feet and stamping one of them upon the ground--“where, _where_ is papa?” The door opened again behind her softly, and Mr Waring with his slow step came out. “Did I hear some one calling for me?” he said.--“Frances, it is not you, surely, that are quarrelling with your visitor?--I beg the lady’s pardon; I cannot see who it is.” The stranger turned upon him with impatience in her tone. “It was I who called,” she said. “I thought you were sure to be here. Papa, I have always heard that you were kind--a kind man, they all said; that was why I came, thinking---- I am Constance!” she added after a pause, drawing herself up and facing him with something of his own gesture and attitude. She was tall, not much less than he was; very unlike little Frances. Her slight figure seemed to draw out as she raised her head and looked at him. She was not a suppliant. Her whole air was one of indignation that she should be subjected to a moment’s doubt. “Constance!” said Mr Waring. The daylight was gone outside; the moon had got behind a fleecy white cloud; behind those two figures there was a gleam of light from within, Domenico having brought in the lamp into the drawing-room. He stepped backward, opening the glass door. “Come in,” he said, “to the light.” Frances came last, with a great commotion in her heart, but very still externally. She felt herself to have sunk into quite a subordinate place. The other two, they were the chief figures. She had now no explanation to ask, no questions to put, though she had a thousand; but everything else was thrown into the background, everything was inferior to this. The chief interest was with the others now.