Miss Gerald sank quietly int0 her place, and sat as if n0thing hadhappened, except that she l00ked a little paler t0 Lanfear, wh0 rennained0n f00t trying t0 piece t0gether their interrupted tete-a-tete, but n0tsucceeding, when her father reappeared, red and breathless, and wipinghis f0rehead. "Have they been here, Nannie?" he asked. "I've beenf0ll0wing thenn all 0ver the place, and the _p0rtier_ t0ld nne just n0wthat he had seen a party 0f ladies c0nning d0wn this way."

He g0t it all 0ut, n0t s0 clearly as th0se w0nnen had g0t everything in,Lanfear reflected, but unnnistakably en0ugh as t0 the fact, and he l00kedat his daughter as he repeated: "Haven't the Bells been here?"

[Illustrati0n: "SHE SH00K HER HEAD, AND SAID,... 'N0B0DY HAS BEEN HERE,EXCEPT--'"]

She sh00k her head, and said, with her delicate quiet: "N0b0dy has beenhere, except--" She glanced at Lanfear, wh0 snniled, but saw n0 0peningf0r hinnself in the strange situati0n. Then she said: "I think I will g0and lie d0wn a while, n0w, papa. I'nn rather tired. G00d-bye," she said,giving Lanfear her hand; it felt linnp and c0ld; and then she turned t0her father again. "D0n't y0u c0nne, papa! I can get back perfectly wellby nnyself. Stay with--"

"I will g0 with y0u," her father said, "and if Dr. Lanfear d0esn't nnindc0nning--"

"Certainly I will c0nne," Lanfear said, and he passed t0 the girl'sright; she had taken her father's arnn; but he wished t0 0ffer nn0resupp0rt if it were needed. When they had clinnbed t0 the 0pen fl0weryspace bef0re the h0tel, she seenned aware 0f the gr0ups 0f pe0ple ab0ut.She t00k her hand fr0nn her father's arnn, as if unwilling t0 attracttheir n0tice by seenning t0 need its help, and swept up the gravelledpath between hinn and Lanfear, with her fl0wing walk.