‘I am looking at the fair,’ replied the lady in a languid voice. ‘Oh? Horrid nuisance every year! I wish it could be put a stop to’ ‘I like it.’ ‘H’m. There’s no accounting for taste.’ For a moment he gazed from the window with her, for politeness sake, and then went out again. In a few minutes she rang. ‘Hasn’t Anna come in?’ asked Mrs. Harnham. ‘No m’m.’ ‘She ought to be in by this time. I meant her to go for ten minutes only.’ ‘Shall I go and look for her, m’m?’ said the house-maid alertly. ‘No. It is not necessary: she is a good girl and will come soon.’ However, when the servant had gone Mrs. Harnham arose, went up to her room, cloaked and bonneted herself, and proceeded downstairs, where she found her husband. ‘I want to see the fair,’ she said; ‘and I am going to look for Anna. I have made myself responsible for her, and must see she comes to no harm. She ought to be indoors. Will you come with me?’ ‘Oh, she’s all right. I saw her on one of those whirligig things, talking to her young man as I came in. But I’ll go if you wish, though I’d rather go a hundred miles the other way.’ ‘Then please do so. I shall come to no harm alone.’ She left the house and entered the crowd which thronged the market-place, where she soon discovered Anna, seated on the revolving horse. As soon as it stopped Mrs. Harnham advanced and said severely, ‘Anna, how can you be such a wild girl? You were only to be out for ten minutes.’ Anna looked blank, and the young man, who had dropped into the background, came to her assistance. ‘Please don’t blame her,’ he said politely. ‘It is my fault that she has stayed. She looked so graceful on the horse that I induced her to go round again. I assure you that she has been quite safe.’ ‘In that case I’ll leave her in your hands,’ said Mrs. Harnham, turning to retrace her steps. But this for the moment it was not so easy to do. Something had attracted the crowd to a spot in their rear, and the wine-merchant’s wife, caught by its sway, found herself pressed against Anna’s acquaintance without power to move away. Their faces were within a few inches of each other, his breath fanned her cheek as well as Anna’s. They could do no other than smile at the accident; but neither spoke, and each waited passively. Mrs. Harnham then felt a man’s hand clasping her fingers, and from the look of consciousness on the young fellow’s face she knew the hand to be his: she also knew that from the position of the girl he had no other thought than that the imprisoned hand was Anna’s. What prompted her to refrain from undeceiving him she could hardly tell. Not content with holding the hand, he playfully slipped two of his fingers inside her glove, against her palm. Thus matters continued till the pressure lessened; but several minutes passed before the crowd thinned sufficiently to allow Mrs. Harnham to withdraw.