Miss Lanark wiped her eyes and coughed, then she said hesitatingly:
"Of course, if you would go, Everest is in a position to give you a very good allowance indeed." She stopped weakly, her throat seemed to dry at the words.
Regina simply laughed, quietly, musically. Miss Lanark recognised what a charm such a laugh would have for a man.
"I don't think I am in need of an allowance from Everest, or anybody else," she answered, glancing at the great picture, on which the red light of the fire glowed softly, as if it would caress it.
Just at that moment the door opened and Everest came in. Regina sprang up and ran to meet him, as she was accustomed to do. They embraced and kissed, quite oblivious of their visitor, whom Regina had, for the moment, utterly forgotten, and Everest had not even seen, submerged as she was in the depths of a velvet chair, with its back to the door.
Regina remembered her after a minute.
"Your sister is here," she whispered in his ear, as they came together towards the fire.
During their embrace by the door, Miss Lanark, who had never been kissed by a man in her life, and who secretly felt great curiosity as to what the dreadful sensation would be like, was sitting rigidly with locked hands in her lap, gazing straight before her into the fire when they approached. She was telling herself, inwardly, she hated people making exhibitions of their feelings before others, but it was all like the rest; just what she had expected: extravagance everywhere, and no restraint of any kind.
"How are you, Clara?" asked Everest, in not too pleased a tone. "I didn't know you were in town."
"No," returned Miss Lanark coldly. "I came yesterday on purpose to see if various reports I had heard at home were true, and to call upon," she hesitated, and then added, "this lady."