The Limit

use it was in the basement. It was dark, and such glimpses as they had of people passing on the pavement wer

. It seemed original, too. There was something almost freakish in being answered by the parlourmaid (who was suitably like a fish in manner and profile), "Miss Luscombe is at home, and will you please step downstairs?" when one had rung the bell on the ground floor. And Miss Luscombe's ringing laugh with its thr

l bamboo table with three little shelves in it, in which were distributed small cut pieces of very yellow cake with very black currants, sandwiches, made of rather warm thin bread and butter, pink and white cocoanut biscuits, and constant relays of st

t as depressed as if they had really been there. Sometimes they came, for there was no one like Miss Luscombe for firmness. Also, she was never offended and was hospitality itself, and she had a way of greeting one that was a reward

rsdays that she had pointed out as peculiarly her own-one of my Thursdays. She really beli

nt sleeves and a low neck. She wore a rose in her hair, a necklace, and long gloves

n with a great deal to laugh at. Most of the older women seemed a shade patronising in tone, and looked as if they had ne

ement to the point of showing no trace of being there at all. To add to the effect of not being noticeable, she wore a dress exactly the same colour as the

idence. Smiling, greeting, archly laughing, sweetly pouting; coquetting, eat

t. She always introduced people to each other who were not on speaking terms, and had intentionally cut each other for years. She had a real genius for making people accidentally meet who had just broken off their engagement, or

come, she showed the wire to everybody. Most of the guests preferred his not coming. Very few could have endured her triumph had he really a

horoughly artificial than she was when surrounded by her friends. There was no throwing off the mask; on the co

ad laughed her last visitor archly to the door, she knel

y, how sweet it

propriate, always got a little on her nerves, but she felt bou

hat beautiful dress?" she said. "You

w-that horrid Royal Institution of Water Colours-afterwards. It isn't worth while to change

s it to

ght at the other end of London the Hyslop-Dunn's in Victoria Grove. Oh, dear! And yet

up some half-finished watercress sandwiches with a sharp knife.

drop out and are forgotten. What a sweet creature Valentia Wyburn is! I thought she was quite, quite dear. And

and looked

ough I feel I can't pay every one proper attention when there's such a crush, but I do my little best.... Mr. Simpson came up to me and

course. The onl

clapped her ha

eally look as nice as al

ear, I only

Luscombe, sitting on the arm of her mother's chair. "It's a silly, v

cheek. Mrs. Luscombe moved asi

ourse, I think you're wonderful, and l

sn't want anyth

n just a little less lip-salve and not

faded quickly out of the room and shut the door, leaving Flora lo

on a great deal more powder and lip-salve, after which she told her mother perhaps she was right, and in

of her to take it all off and go out that evening without any adventitious aids to beauty; and this