And upstairs Mrs. Heth, complacent right up at the front, craned round
her neck, and thought that Cally was very long in coming....

"Yes? What about the Works?" said Cally, her breath quickening.

"Oh, I don't mean to detain you now, of course--"

"But now that you have detained me?" she pursued, with no great polish
of courtesy.

The young man raised a hand and pushed back his hair, which was short
but wavy. It was observed that he wore, doubtless in memory of his
uncle, a mourning tie of grosgrain silk, replacing the piquant
aquarium scene.

"I could hardly explain it all in just a few sentences," said he,
affecting reluctance, "and I--certainly don't want to give you a wrong
impression.... To begin quite at the end, I've been wondering if I--I
might be allowed to make one or two small improvements there, at the
Works, I mean,--in fact, out of a--a sort of fund I have."

Carlisle stared at him spellbound. She stood on the bottom step of the
old grand stairway, one gloved hand on the balustrade; and, as she so
stood, her eyes just came on a level with those of the tall doctor. His
hare-brained audacity almost took her breath away.

"Oh," said she. "Out of a fund you have."

And she thought wildly of accepting his offer at once, compelling him to