The fact that she "knew"-knew and yet neither chaffed him nor betrayed him-had in a short timebegun to constitute between them a goodly bond, which became more marked when, within the yearthat followed their afternoon at Weatherend, the opportunities for meeting multiplied. The eventthat thus promoted these occasions was the death of the ancient lady her great-aunt, under whosewing, since losing her mother, she had to such an extent found shelter, and who, though but thewidowed mother of the new successor to the property, had succeeded-thanks to a high tone and ahigh temper-in not forfeiting the supreme position at the great house. The deposition of thispersonage arrived but with her death, which, followed by many changes, made in particular adifference for the young woman in whom Marcher's expert attention had recognised from the first adependent with a pride that might ache though it didn't bristle. Nothing for a long time had madehim easier than the thought that the aching must have been much soothed by Miss Bartram's nowfinding herself able to set up a small home in London. She had acquired property, to an amountthat made that luxury just possible, under her aunt's extremely complicated will, and when the wholematter began to be straightened out, which indeed took time, she let him know that the happy issuewas at last in view. He had seen her again before that day, both because she had more than onceaccompanied the ancient lady to town and because he had paid another visit to the friends who soconveniently made of Weatherend one of the charms of their own hospitality. These friends hadtaken him back there; he had achieved there again with Miss Bartram some quiet detachment; and hehad in London succeeded in persuading her to more than one brief absence from her aunt. Theywent together, on these latter occasions, to the National Gallery and the South Kensington Museum, where, among vivid reminders, they talked of Italy at large-not now attempting to recover, as atfirst, the taste of their youth and their ignorance. That recovery, the first day at Weatherend, hadserved its purpose well, had given them quite enough; so that they were, to Marcher's sense, nolonger hovering about the head-waters of their stream, but had felt their boat pushed sharply off anddown the current.