ever known, and somehow when Killigrew was down with us she soon found
out, though I don't think he actually said anything. And we have
beautiful old furniture hidden away in the attics, so we simply pulled
it all out, and Vassie and Phoebe are making new needlework seats for
the chairs."

"Is Phoebe another sister?"

"Oh, no; she's the daughter of Mr. Lenine, the miller. She was at
boarding-school in Plymouth with Vassie, and they're just like sisters,"
said Ishmael in the simplicity of his heart.

"How nice!" said Blanche Grey.

So it was settled between them that Blanche should renew her
acquaintance with the country that summer at Cloom, and when Ishmael
left he walked on air. It was not that he was excited so much as that a
deep content filled him; life seemed full of promise and even more
worth living than he had thought it. The distrust which that news of
Carminow's had engendered drifted to the back of his brain; he wandered
through the streets, picturing the days to come at Cloom. He came to a
pause at last, aware that he had missed the way to the hotel where he
was to sup with Carminow and Killigrew. He looked at the name of the
street he was in, and saw that it was the name Carminow had mentioned as
being that of the street where Hilaria was lodged.

He stood between the rows of houses and tried to realise that one of
them sheltered Hilaria. He stood quite still, beset by the same thoughts
as on the first evening he had been told of her. He looked up at the
houses and wondered which it was; it seemed odd that the bricks and