Maud was by no means what she had been. In all that concerned his
sister, Mutimer was weak; he could quarrel with her, and abuse her roundly for
frailties, but none the less was it one of his keenest pleasures to see her
contented, even in ways that went quite against his conscience. He might rail
against the vanity of dress, but if Alice needed a new gown, Richard was the
first to notice it. The neat little silver watch she carried was a gift from
himself of some years back; with difficulty he had resisted the temptation to
replace it with a gold one now that it was in his power to do so. Tolerable
taste and handiness with her needle had always kept Alice rather more ladylike
in appearance than the gills of her class are wont to be, but such comparative
distinction no longer sufficed. After certain struggles with himself, Richard
had told his mother that Alice must in future dress as a lady; he authorised her
to procure the services of a competent dressmaker, and, within the bounds of
moderation, to expend freely. And the result was on the whole satisfactory. A
girl of good figure, pretty face, and moderate wit, who has spent some years in
a City showroom, does not need much instruction in the art of wearing
fashionable attire becomingly. Alice wore this evening a gown which would not
have been out of place at five o'clock in a West-end drawing-room; the sleeves
were rather short, sufficiently so to exhibit a very shapely lower arm. She had
discovered new ways of doing her hair; at present it was braided on either side
of the forehead - a style which gave almost a thoughtful air to her face. When
her brother entered she was eating a piece of sponge-cake, which she held to her
lips with peculiar delicacy, as if rehearsing graces.
    »Why, there now!« cried Mrs. Mutimer, pleased to see her son. »If I wasn't
saying not five minutes ago as Dick was likely to come some day in the week!
Wasn't I, Alice? What'll you have for your tea? There's some chops all ready in
the 'ouse, if you'd care for them.«
    Richard was not in a cheerful mood. He made no reply immediately, but went
and stood before the fireplace, as he had been accustomed to do in the old
kitchen.
    »Will you have a chop?« repeated his mother.
    »No; I won't eat just yet. But you can give me