But all she did was strangely lacking in any hint of the supposed relation between Driscoll and herself. There was infinite gentleness in her, but no happy confusion. Gano never saw in her quiet eyes that look he was always dreading to surprise.
"She doesn't care about him in the way he thinks, poor devil!" he said, at last, to himself.
The only time he ever ventured to speak of her goodness to the sick man, "Oh, Mr. Driscoll has been kind to _me_," she said. "He got me my place on the _Semaine Illustrée_."
Why, it was a sheer case of extravagant gratitude! Gano was conscious this explanation pleased him.
"How's the club getting on?" Driscoll asked her one evening, as she was leaving.
Gano was spreading out his writing materials on the rickety table.
"Oh, all right," she said, pinning her brown hat firmly on her coil of black hair.
"_You_ haven't had the honor of being admitted to the club," said Driscoll, laughing and nodding over at Gano. "_You_ aren't considered worthy."
"_You_ weren't considered worthy," said Mrs. Burne, smiling faintly, "but you would come."
"And if I adopted the same tactics," suggested Gano.
"No, no," she said, hastily; "it's really only for women."
She hunted about for her gloves. It was the first time Gano had ever seen a look of embarrassment on the calm face.
"A--debating club," she answered. "Good-night."
But she was gone with a look of pleading cast on Driscoll as she went--a look that was like a prayer.
Gano felt absurdly piqued to know more, not of the foolish club, but of this fellow-being.
"Oh yes; but they didn't do anything very remarkable the night I was there. They meet in Mary's lodging. There were only three then. She says there are sixteen now, two or three of 'em men, in spite of it's being 'only for women.' Can't think where she puts 'em."
"Oh, some rot about social duties. They really go to sit by a fire and get a cup of hot tea. But it's a very good thing," he added, with a sudden rush of loyalty. "It's grown out of Mary's keeping one or two women from going the primrose path to the everlasting bonfire."
His desire to "guy" the club seemed to have gone out with the founder's going. The same thing had happened before.
"Lots of English and Americans let loose here, you know, without a _notion_--"