"You’re in luck this time, Jenny. Among all the fools you have had there wasn’t one who had the art of making you really comfortable--eh?" Mrs. Chard smiled, and her eyes gratefully followed the girl’s slim figure back to the tea-table. The discontented, uneasy expression had died out of her eyes, giving place to one of peace, which imparted an unexpected charm to her face. Isla, quite unconscious of the favourable impression she was creating, and only wishing with all her heart that Mr. Chard would make himself scarce, busied herself about her new duties, and, when there was likely to be silence, made small talk with an ease that surprised herself. Mr. Chard was evidently extremely anxious to hear her talk, and it was he who put the questions. But Isla only answered such as she chose, and, at the end of twenty minutes, she left him very much where he was at the beginning. Her coolness and cleverness piqued him. He had been accustomed to see his wife’s companions shrink before him and efface themselves in his presence. "The old lady doesn’t allow me a whiff here, Miss Mackinnon. Hard lines, don’t you think? Much as I should like to stop, I must tear myself away. We shall meet at dinner later on, I hope, and resume our interesting conversation." Isla bowed slightly, and when the door closed she rose and came over to the side of the couch, where Mrs. Chard sat smiling happily. "You can’t think how glad I am that you have come," she said, putting out an impulsive hand. "I woke up this morning wondering what pleasant thing was going to happen, and then I remembered that it was your coming." "You are very kind to speak like that. I hope I may be going to be of use to you. That is the only excuse for my presence here." "Well that is a speech! Most of them have come to serve their own ends, and--would you believe it, Miss Mackinnon?--though this is my house, and all that it contains is mine, I have sometimes felt among them all that I hadn’t a single friend." "I shall be your friend while I am here," said Isla quite simply, and without the smallest intention of gushing or flattering. To her surprise a small sob suddenly broke from the lips of the woman on the couch. "I don’t pray much or often to God, my dear, but I do believe that He has sent you to me this time. There is a clear light about you--it shines in your eyes. I am sure that you are true and good." "I try to be. But now you must rest a little, and later on I’ll come and get you ready to go down to dinner." "Oh, but, my dear, I don’t go down. They haven’t laid a place for me for months." "But they’ll lay one for you to-night, or I shall dine here with you," said Isla quite quietly. She did not add that nothing on earth would induce her to dine _tête-à-tête_ with Mr. Bodley-Chard. CHAPTER XXIII AT CROSS PURPOSES