“An’ me not there to see him in his triumph.”  A cloud overspread
Miss Nippett’s features.

“What’s the matter?” asked Mavis.

“Did he—­did he send and tell you to tell me as ’ow he’d won.”

The wistful old eyes were so pleading, that Mavis fibbed.

“Of course he sent me.”

“I thought he wouldn’t forget his old friend,” she remarked with a sigh of relief. “’E’d surely know I was anxious to know.”

Mavis told Miss Nippett of her engagement to play at “Poulter’s” during the latter’s absence.

“Don’t you count on it being for long,” said Miss Nippett.

“I hope it won’t be, for your sake.”

“I’m counting the minute’ till I shall be back again at the academy,” declared Miss Nippett.

Mavis, as she looked at the eager, pinched face, could well believe that she was speaking the truth.

“I shall buy you a bottle of port wine,” said Mavis.

“What say?”

Mavis repeated her words.

“Oh, I say!  Fancy me ‘avin’ port wine!  I once ’ad a glass; it did make me feel ’appy.”

Two days later, in accordance with the contents of a letter she had received from Mrs Farthing, Mavis met the train at Paddington that was to bring her dear Jill from Melkbridge.  She discovered her friend huddled in a corner of the guard’s van; her grief was piteous to behold, her eyes being full of tears, which the kindly attentions of the guard had not dissipated.  Directly she saw her mistress, Jill uttered a cry that was almost human in its gladness, and tried to jump into Mavis’ arms.

When Jill was released, Mavis hugged her in her arms, careless of the attention her devotion attracted.

With her friend restored to her, that evening was the happiest she had spent for some time.

For many succeeding weeks, Mavis passed her mornings with Jill, or Miss Nippett, or both; and most of her afternoons and all of her evenings at the academy.  The long hours, together with the monotonous nature of the work, greatly taxed her energies, lessened as these were by the physical stress through which she was passing.

She obtained infrequent distraction from the peculiarities of the pupils.  One, in particular, who was a fat Jewess, named Miss Hyman, greatly amused her.  This person was desperately anxious to learn waltzing, but was handicapped by bandy legs.  As she spun round and round the room with Mr Poulter, or any other partner, she would close her eyes and continually repeat aloud, “One, two, three; one, two, three,” the while her feet kept step with the music.