Gladys was not unmoved by them, and had he followed up his slight advantage, he might have won her on the spot; but at the propitious moment Ellen brought in the tea-tray, and the conversation had to drift into a more general groove.

‘To return to my project,’ said Gladys, when the maid had gone again, ’I have one of my old acquaintances among the working girls here just now.  I expect she will help me a good deal.  She was the friend of poor Lizzie Hepburn, whom we have lost so completely.  Is it not strange?  What do you think can have become of her?’

‘I’m sure I couldn’t say,’ he replied, with all the indifference at his command.

Gladys, busy with the tea-cups, noticed nothing strange in his manner, nor did his answer disappoint her much.  She was quite aware that he did not take an absorbing interest in the questions which engrossed so much of her own thought.

’The saddest thing about it is that nobody seems to care anything about what has become of her,’ she said, as she took the dainty Wedgewood teapot in her hand.  ’Just think if the same thing had happened to your sister or either of your cousins, what a thing it would have been.’

’My dear Gladys, the cases are not parallel.  Such things happen every day, and nobody pays the least attention.  And besides, such people do not have the same feelings as us.’

Gladys looked at him indignantly.

‘You only say so because you know nothing about them,’ she said quickly.  ’I do assure you the poor have quite as keen feelings as the rich, and some things they feel even more, I think.  Why, only to-day I had an instance of it in the girl I have staying here.  Her loyalty to Liz is quite beautiful.  I wish you would not judge so harshly and hastily.’

‘I will think anything to please you, Gladys,’ said George fervently.  ’You must forgive me if I am a trifle sceptical.  You see, a fellow has his opinions moulded pretty much by his people, and mine don’t take your view of the lower classes.’

Again he was unfortunate in his choice of words.  Gladys particularly disliked the expression, ‘lower classes,’ and his apologetic tone did not appease her.

’They judge them harshly because they know nothing about them, and never will.  One has to live among them, as I have done, to learn their good qualities.  It is the only way,’ she said rather sadly.

George set down his cup on the tray, and lingered at the table, looking down at her with a glance which might have disconcerted her.

‘You are so awfully good, Gladys,’ he said, quite humbly for him.  ’I wonder you can be half as civil as you are to a reprobate like me.’

‘Are you a reprobate?’ she asked, with a faint, wondering smile.

‘I’m not as good as I should be,’ he added frankly.  ’But, you see, I’ve never had anybody put things in the light you put them in.  If I had, I believe it would have made all the difference.  Won’t you take me in hand?’