accused the perpetrator--through Mrs. Bishop--of forgetting the
state of affairs, of ingratitude for care and affection, of common
inhumanity, and of impiety in rendering impossible of performance
the multifarious church duties Mrs. Bishop had invented and assumed
as so many particularly shining virtues. Orde soon discovered that
Carroll went out in society very little for the simple reason that
she could never give an unqualified acceptance to an invitation. At
the last moment, when she had donned her street wraps and the
carriage was at the door, she was liable to be called back, either
to assist at some religious function, which, by its sacred
character, was supposed to have precedence over everything, or to
attend a nervous crisis, brought on by some member of the household,
or by mere untoward circumstances. The girl always acquiesced most
sweetly in these recurrent disappointments. And the very fact that
she accepted few invitations gave Orde many more chances to see her,
in spite of Mrs. Bishop's increasing exactions. He did not realise
this fact, however, but ground his teeth and clung blind-eyed to his
temper whenever the mother cut short his visits or annulled his
engagements on some petty excuse of her own. He could almost
believe these interruptions malicious, were it not that he soon
discovered Mrs. Bishop well disposed toward him personally whenever
he showed himself ready to meet her even quarter way on the topics
that interested her--the church and her health.

In this manner the week passed. Orde saw as much as he could of
Miss Bishop. The remainder of the time he spent walking the streets
and reading in the club rooms to which Gerald's courtesy had given
him access. Gerald himself seemed to be much occupied. Precisely
at eleven every morning, however, he appeared at the gymnasium for
his practice; and in this Orde dropped into the habit of joining