Milly did not blush, she remained cool and pale--small and cool and pale she stood there in her white cashmere smock, making lovely sounds with as much ease and confidence as if she had been playing by herself in an empty room. Extraordinary child. She looked almost inspired, coldly inspired--it was queer. When she had finished playing, her little violin master came out of the corner in which he had been hidden. "Very good--excellent!" he said, patting her shoulder; and Milly smiled quite placidly. Then she grew excited all of a sudden and skipped around the room for praise. Joan sat beside her mother; very gently she squeezed her hand, looking up into Mrs. Ogden's face. She saw that it was animated and young, and the change thrilled her with pleasure. Mrs. Ogden looked down into her daughter's eyes. She whispered: "Do you like my dress, darling; am I looking nice?" "Lovely, Mother--so awfully pretty!" But Joan thought: "The same thing, they both wanted to know if I liked their dresses, how funny! But Mother doesn't look like a tree just greening over--what does Mother look like?" She could not find a simile and this annoyed her. Mrs. Ogden's dress was grey, it suited her admirably, falling about her still girlish figure in long, soft folds. No one could say that Mary Ogden never looked pretty these days, that was quite certain; for she looked pretty this afternoon, with the delicate somewhat faded prettiness of a flower that has been pressed between the pages of a book. Suddenly Joan thought: "I know--I've got it, Elizabeth is like a tree and Mother's like a dove, a dove that lights on a tree. No, that won't do, I don't believe somehow that Mother would like to light on Elizabeth, and I don't think Elizabeth would like to be lit on. What is she like then?" People began to go. "Good-bye, such a charming party." "So glad you could come." "Good-bye--don't forget that you and Colonel Ogden are lunching with us next Saturday." "No, of course not, so many thanks." "Good-bye----" "Over at last!" Mrs. Ogden leant back in her chair with a sigh that bespoke complete satisfaction. She beamed on her husband. He smiled. "Went off jolly well, Mary!" He was anxious to make up for the morning. "Yes, it was a great success, I think. Don't you think it went off very well, James?" The colonel twitched; he longed to say: "Damn it all, Mary, haven't I just told you that I think it went off well!" But he restrained himself. Mary continued: "Well, dear, the Routledges always did have a talent for entertaining. I can remember at Chesham when I was Joan's age----" 2 Sir Robert and Lady Loo were driving swiftly towards Moor Park behind their grey cobs. "Talent that youngster has for fiddle playing, Emma!" "Yes, I suppose so. The mother's a silly fool of a woman, no more brains than a chicken, and what a snob!" "Ugly monkey, the elder daughter." "Joan? Oh, do you think so?" "Awful!" "Wait and see!" said Lady Loo with a thoughtful smile.