“Didn’t you know it?”

She summoned all her sturdiness.  “No, she hasn’t told me.”

“And her friends—­haven’t they?”

“I haven’t seen any of them lately.  I’m not so fortunate as you.”

Mrs. Jordan gathered herself.  “Then you haven’t even heard of Lord Bradeen’s death?”

Her comrade, unable for a moment to speak, gave a slow headshake.  “You know it from Mr. Drake?” It was better surely not to learn things at all than to learn them by the butler.

“She tells him everything.”

“And he tells you—­I see.”  Our young lady got up; recovering her muff and her gloves she smiled.  “Well, I haven’t unfortunately any Mr. Drake.  I congratulate you with all my heart.  Even without your sort of assistance, however, there’s a trifle here and there that I do pick up.  I gather that if she’s to marry any one it must quite necessarily be my friend.”

Mrs. Jordan was now also on her feet.  “Is Captain Everard your friend?”

The girl considered, drawing on a glove.  “I saw, at one time, an immense deal of him.”

Mrs. Jordan looked hard at the glove, but she hadn’t after all waited for that to be sorry it wasn’t cleaner.  “What time was that?”

“It must have been the time you were seeing so much of Mr. Drake.”  She had now fairly taken it in:  the distinguished person Mrs. Jordan was to marry would answer bells and put on coals and superintend, at least, the cleaning of boots for the other distinguished person whom she might—­well, whom she might have had, if she had wished, so much more to say to.  “Good-bye,” she added; “good-bye.”

Mrs. Jordan, however, again taking her muff from her, turned it over, brushed it off and thoughtfully peeped into it.  “Tell me this before you go.  You spoke just now of your own changes.  Do you mean that Mr. Mudge—?”

“Mr. Mudge has had great patience with me—­he has brought me at last to the point.  We’re to be married next month and have a nice little home.  But he’s only a grocer, you know”—­the girl met her friend’s intent eyes—­“so that I’m afraid that, with the set you’ve got into, you won’t see your way to keep up our friendship.”

Mrs. Jordan for a moment made no answer to this; she only held the muff up to her face, after which she gave it back.  “You don’t like it.  I see, I see.”

To her guest’s astonishment there were tears now in her eyes.  “I don’t like what?” the girl asked.

“Why my engagement.  Only, with your great cleverness,” the poor lady quavered out, “you put it in your own way.  I mean that you’ll cool off.  You already have—!” And on this, the next instant, her tears began to flow.  She succumbed to them and collapsed; she sank down again, burying her face and trying to smother her sobs.

Her young friend stood there, still in some rigour, but taken much by surprise even if not yet fully moved to pity.  “I don’t put anything in any ‘way,’ and I’m very glad you’re suited.  Only, you know, you did put to me so splendidly what, even for me, if I had listened to you, it might lead to.”