"Something?"
"Well—to talk about."
It was his turn to say "I see."
He knocked the ashes out of his pipe, thus closing the sitting, and settled down to a long correspondence in arrears.
At bed-time Rose spoke again.
"How old is she?" Rose said.
XVII
The next day at four o'clock Rose had on her best gown and was bright-eyed and pink. Brighter-eyed and pinker than Tanqueray had seen her for many weeks. She was excited, not so much by the prospect of seeing Miss Holland as by the beautiful vision of her tea-table. There was a cake with sugar icing on it, and bread and butter rolled as Rose had seen it rolled at Fleet. She had set out the tea-service that her aunt had given her for a wedding-present. The table cloth had a lace edge to it which gratified Rose whenever she thought of it. Tanqueray had on his nicest suit, and Rose's gaze travelled up and down it, and paused in ecstasy at his necktie.
"You do pay for dressin'," she said.