Trafford, busily gathering her knitting
togelher and putting it into a pretty satin
lined and much trimmed basket. “1 won
der now if you would mind my going
awny for a few minutes, Mr. Howard? I
promised to write a rather important let
ter and I have only just time to do so be
fore dinner.”
Stephen Howard got up from ids chair
and said he would not detain Mrs. Traf
ford for the world. Would she rather that
he did not stay—that lie went away?
“By no means,” Mrs. Trafford answer
ed, graciously. It was 100 kind of him not
to mind her telling him quite as an old
friend and without cereiuouy. She should
not be very long.
Thus Mrs. Trafford went away and in
timated to the admirable Cox that no
more visitors were to be admitted. Then
she went into the morning-room and
scrawled a letter to a friend, of no im
portance whatever. After which she set
tled herself in a comfortable chair and
buried herself in the pages of anew mag
azine in which she was greatly interested.
1 have a great admiration for Mrs. Traf
ford. What she might have proved in
the busier rush and keener competition of
a Loudon swim I cannot say—l think she
won Id ha ve done well and have proved
herself, what she undeniably proved tier
self in Blankhampton, a thoroughl. skill
ful tactician. I know that she put all tiie
.Mrs. Doughtys and Aulroliuses and all
the rest of the Blankhampton matrons
to utter anil complete shame—to use the
language of the turf, she romped chan
away from them.
