"Oh, they keep their surfaces about the same."

"It made me wish I had a little more surface
to-night," I laughed. "I'd have fitted better. Miss
Ward is different at different times. When we



160 THE GUEST OF QUESNAY

are alone together she always has the air of ex-
cusing, or at least explaining, these people to me,
but this evening I've had the disquieting thought
that perhaps she also explained me to them."

"Oh, no!" said Mrs. Harman, turning to me
quickly. "Didn't you see? She was making up
to Mr. Ingle for this morning. It came out that
she'd ridden over at daylight to see you; Anne
Elliott discovered it in some way and told him."

This presented an aspect of things so overwhelm-
ingly novel that out of a confusion of ideas I was
able to fasten on only one with which to continue
the conversation, and I said irrelevantly that Miss
Elliott was a remarkable young woman. At this
my companion, who had renewed her observation
of the valley, gave me a full, clear look of earnest
scrutiny, which set me on the alert, for I thought
that now what she desired to say was coming. But
I was disappointed, for she spoke lightly, with a
ripple of amusement.
"I suppose she finished her investigations? You
told her all you could?"

"Almost."

"I suppose you wouldn't trust me with the reserva-
tion?" she asked, smiling.
CHAPTER TWELVE 161

"I would trust you with anything," I answered
seriously.
