Then, with another "Poor, poor Uncle George!" she released me. Her next words broke from her with a vivid little jump. "Oh, _how_ I hate her now!" "Jennie, Jennie! You can't hate anybody I've just told you that about!" "Oh, I can! Worse than ever! To think of her cheek in refusing you! She ought to have been proud--instead of playing cards all the evening!" "Playing cards isn't a bad thing to do. I played cards too." "Pretty poor look-out for her if she's in love with somebody else anyway!" she commented. "By no means, Jennie. Other people than I are in love with her. But what I want to ask you is whether you can't be nice to her for my sake." "I'll do anything I can," she said bitterly. "If you say she was awfully kind and gentle to you about it that might help a bit." "Then let me say it. She was awfully kind and gentle." "And so she ought to be! But _is_ she in love with somebody else, then?" "I think she doesn't want to get married." "I don't believe _that_!" declared Jennie flatly. "Why, she thinks about nothing but clothes and who's watching her and if she's looking all right!" "Is that being kind to her, Jennie?" "No it isn't, and I will try, but I didn't like her before, and I'm only trying now because of you. Why did she ask mother if she might come here, especially if she knew you were in love with her and you were here?" "I hadn't told her I was in love with her." "Don't tell me she didn't know, for all that," was the unbelieving reply. "Well, well.... There it is and we must make the best of it. You try to make the best of things too, my dear. Shall we go in?" Whether I had done Julia any great service in Jennie's opinion was doubtful. I had at any rate given Jennie something else to think of. And that was something. Contrary to my expectations, I slept immediately and deeply that night. It was nine o'clock in the morning before I awoke, half-past when I descended. I found Madge in the salon. "I say, what's become of Julia?" she asked. "Though I don't see how you could very well know seeing you've only just this moment come down." A maid was clearing away the _petit déjeuner_. "Madam," she said. "What is it, Ellen?" "Miss Oliphant left word she'd be back at half-past eleven." "Has she gone out? But we were to go into Dinard this morning!" "She's gone to St Briac, madam, and she said as she was going to see somebody at the Golf Club she might as well save one of us a journey and bring a bicycle back. It wasn't exactly your orders, madam, but there's a deal to do this morning what with this dance, and as Miss Oliphant was so kind I thought perhaps you wouldn't mind." "Oh, I don't mind, except that it doesn't leave us much time for shopping. I shall go into Dinard, and you'd better tell Miss Oliphant to follow me when she comes back." "Very good, madam."