Watching his departing confederate, restored once more to smiling animation, flutter from the room, Julian returned to his seat before the writing-table.
"For a man who professes to dislike officious interference," he reflected ruefully, "I am the recipient of an unfortunate number of disastrous confidences."
XIV
Lady Rossiter, a few days later, put on a comparatively new set of black fox furs, which helped to enhance in her the agreeable conviction of being in a position to be kind to those less fortunate than herself, and drove to Culmouth College.
It was her intention to put the matter of the presentation upon a sound footing without delay, and she had purposely chosen a Saturday afternoon for her visit, knowing that the College would be almost empty and that Fairfax Fuller was generally to be found there alone until half-past two or three o'clock.
The Supervisor, however—the window of whose private office gazed on to that side of the street by which the College was approached—proved strangely difficult of access.
The place seemed almost deserted, but Lady Rossiter encountered downstairs the small and precocious-looking student of shorthand whom she and Iris had remarked at the speed test.
"Do you know if Mr. Fuller is here, little boy?" she enquired of him, with that extra distinct enunciation by which so many people indicate their consciousness of addressing a social inferior, but also with a very agreeable smile.
Edna believed much in the power of a smile, and sometimes quoted a few lines of those popular verses, "Just by smiling."
"Ay," said the little boy.