Nancy’s laugh made an interruption.

’No, no, he doesn’t!  He told me once that he didn’t care for that sort of thing.’

‘Oh, well, you know much more about him than I do,’ said Miss Morgan, with a smile.

’I’ve often meant to ask you—­have they anything to do with Tarrant’s black-lead?’

Jessica declared that she had never heard of it.

’Never heard of it? nonsense!  A few years ago it used to be posted up everywhere, and I see it sometimes even now, but other kinds seem to have driven it out of the market.  Now that’s just like you!  Pray, did you ever hear of Pears’ Soap?’

‘Of course.’

’Really?  Oh, there’s hope of you.  You’ll be a woman of the world some day.’

’Don’t tease, Nancy.  And what would it matter if he was there to-morrow?’

’Oh!  I don’t know.  But I shouldn’t particularly like his lordship to imagine that I went in the hope of paying my respects to him, and having the reward of a gracious smile.’

‘One can’t always be thinking about what other people think,’ said Jessica impatiently.  ’You’re too sensitive.  Any one else in your position would have lots of such friends.’

‘In my position!  What is my position?’

‘Culture is everything now-a-days,’ observed Miss.  Morgan, with the air of one who feels herself abundantly possessed of that qualification.

But Nancy laughed.

‘You may depend upon it, Mr. Tarrant doesn’t think so.’

‘He calls himself a democrat.’

‘And talks like one:  doesn’t he?’

’Oh! that’s only his way, I think.  He doesn’t really mean to be haughty, and—­and so on.’

‘I wish I knew if he had any connection with Tarrant’s blacklead,’ said Miss.  Lord mischievously.

‘Why not ask him?’

They laughed merrily, Jessica’s thin note contrasting with the mellow timbre of her friend’s voice.

‘I will some day.’

‘You would never dare to!’

‘I daren’t?  Then I will!’

‘It would be dreadfully rude.’

‘I don’t mind being thought rude,’ replied Nancy, with a movement of the head, ’if it teaches people that I consider myself as good as they are.’

‘Well, will you come to-morrow?’

‘Ye-es; if you’ll go somewhere else with me in the evening.’

‘Where to?’

’To walk about the streets after dark, and see the crowds and the illuminations.’

Nancy uttered this with a sly mirthfulness.  Her friend was astonished.

‘Nonsense! you don’t mean it.’

’I do.  I want to go for the fun of the thing.  I should feel ashamed of myself if I ran to stare at Royalties, but it’s a different thing at night.  It’ll be wonderful, all the traffic stopped, and the streets crammed with people, and blazing with lights.  Won’t you go?’

’But the time, the time!  I can’t afford it.  I’m getting on so wretchedly with my Greek and my chemistry.’