"Oh, none of it’s a trouble when you really meet people. They are so much simpler than one would think." Mabel saw that Adelaide Maud had given them her first tip. It was sweetly done, but then----! Anyhow, they had given Adelaide Maud plenty of tips about getting in early to seats in the Queen’s Hall and minor affairs of that sort. Why shouldn’t the benefits work both ways? It was about the time of Elma’s ball, when they sent the white roses, and Adelaide Maud said she would help them to choose. "I should like to send little Elma a crown of pearls, but I daren’t," said she with a sigh. "She’s such a pet, isn’t she!" "Timorous, but a pet," said Jean with a broad smile. "She is holding the fort just now at any rate," responded Mabel. They thought it would be all right to tell Adelaide Maud something of what Elma had written. "I trembled, of course," Elma had said; "but the thing had to be done. I wouldn’t for a moment let you think that you couldn’t come home and slip in to the places that belong to you. Isobel would have possessed the whole house if I hadn’t played up. I don’t know why she wants to. It must be so much nicer not to have to bother about servants and table centres. But she has never squeaked since I spoke about it. In fact, she won’t even speak to me unless some one is about, passes me without a word." "Poor darling," said Adelaide Maud; "what a worm your cousin must be." "No, I don’t think she’s that," said Mabel; "it’s just that she simply must rule, you know. She must have everything good that is going." "H’m," answered Adelaide Maud. "Why doesn’t that brother of yours go slashing about a little, and keep her from bullying Elma." "Oh, Elma would never tell Cuthbert. Don’t you see it mightn’t be fair to prejudice him against Isobel. Isobel thinks such a lot of Cuthbert." "Oh." A long clinging silence depreciated the conversational prowess of Adelaide Maud. "Well," she said, in a conventional voice, "We’ve had a lovely day. Let me know when you are going to another concert. And I shall send you full particulars about Lady Emily." They were walking along Regent Street to find their shop for the flowers. It seemed that Adelaide Maud was about to desert them. She beckoned for a hansom and got inside. Mabel and Jean felt that they said good-bye to Miss Dudgeon of The Oaks. In another second they had gone on and Adelaide Maud had had her hansom pulled up beside them again. "Jean, Jean," she called, quite radiant again. "I forgot the most important thing. It’s about lessons. Do you think that your Splashkaspitskoff would condescend to give me some?" It was rather mad of Adelaide Maud, but she got out and paid off the hansom. "It isn’t so late as I thought it was," she said lamely. But Mabel knew that she came to make up. Jean only thought of the lessons. "You will find him so splendid," she said, "and such a gentleman."