against the most plausible pinkness of the most developed dolls. A huge
quarter of the place, the biggest bazaar "on earth," was peopled with
these and other effigies and fantasies, as well as with purchasers and
vendors haggard alike, in the blaze of the gas, with hesitations. I was
just about to appeal to Flora to avert that stage of my errand when I saw
that she was accompanied by a gentleman whose identity, though more than
a year had elapsed, came back to me from the Folkestone cliff. It had
been associated on that scene with showy knickerbockers; at present it
overflowed more splendidly into a fur-trimmed overcoat. Lord Iffield's
presence made me waver an instant before crossing over, and during that
instant Flora, blank and undistinguishing, as if she too were after all
weary of alternatives, looked straight across at me. I was on the point
of raising my hat to her when I observed that her face gave no sign. I
was exactly in the line of her vision, but she either didn't see me or
didn't recognise me, or else had a reason to pretend she didn't. Was her
reason that I had displeased her and that she wished to punish me? I had
always thought it one of her merits that she wasn't vindictive. She at
any rate simply looked away; and at this moment one of the shop-girls,
who had apparently gone off in search of it, bustled up to her with a
small mechanical toy. It so happened that I followed closely what then
took place, afterwards recognising that I had been led to do so, led even
through the crowd to press nearer for the purpose, by an impression of
which in the act I was not fully conscious.

Flora with the toy in her hand looked round at her companion; then seeing
his attention had been solicited in another quarter she moved away with
the shop-girl, who had evidently offered to conduct her into the presence
of more objects of the same sort. When she reached the indicated spot I
was in a position still to observe her. She had asked some question
about the working of the toy, and the girl, taking it herself, began to