"Who will be the Conservative candidate?"
"I have no idea," answered Constance, still absorbed in her thoughts.
May cast a glance at her, and discovered emotion in the fixed eyes, the set lips. There was a short silence, then Miss Tomalin spoke as if an amusing thought had struck her.
"You received that American magazine from Mrs. Toplady? Isn't it an odd coincidence—the French book, you know?"
"It didn't seem to me very striking," replied Constance, coldly.
"No? Perhaps not." May became careless. "I hadn't time to read it myself; I only heard what Mrs. Toplady said about it."
"There was a certain resemblance between the Frenchman's phraseology and Mr. Lashmar's," said Constance; "but nothing more. Mr. Lashmar's system isn't easy to grasp. I doubt whether Mrs. Toplady is quite the person to understand it."
"Perhaps not," May smiled, raising her chin. "I must read the article myself."
"Even then," rejoined her companion, in a measured tone, "you will hardly be able to decide as to the resemblance of the two theories."
"Why not?" asked May, sharply.