Thetoneofhisvoicewasevidentlyenough。LadyAnstruthersturnedwithanunmistakablestart。Theroseliningofherparasolceasedtowarmhercolour。Infact，theparasolitselfsteppedaside，andshestoodwithablank，stiff，whiteface。
\"MydearRosalie，\"saidSirNigel，goingtowardsher。
\"Youdon’tlookverygladtoseeme。\"
Hebentandkissedherquitewiththeairofadevotedhusband。Knowingwhatthecaressmeant，andseeingRosy’sfaceasshesubmittedtoit，Bettyfeltrathercold。AftertheconjugalgreetingheturnedtoUghtred。
\"Youlookremarkablywell，\"hesaid。
Bettycameforward。
\"Wemetinthepark，Rosy，\"sheexplained。\"Wehavebeentalkingtoeachotherforhalfanhour。\"
TheatmospherewhichhadsurroundedherduringthelastthreemonthshaddonemuchforLadyAnstruthers’nerves。
Shehadthepowertorecoverherself。SirNigelhimselfsawthiswhenshespoke。
\"IwasstartledbecauseIwasnotexpectingtoseeyou，\"shesaid。\"IthoughtyouwerestillontheRiviera。Ihopeyouhadapleasantjourneyhome。\"
\"Ihadanextraordinarilypleasantsurpriseinfindingyoursisterhere，\"heanswered。Andtheywentintothehouse。
Indescendingthestaircaseonhiswaytothedrawing—roombeforedinner，SirNigelglancedabouthimwithinterestedcuriosity。Ifthevillagehadbeenputinorder，somethingmorehadbeendonehere。Rememberingthewornrugsandthebald—
headedtiger，heliftedhisbrows。Toleaveone’shouseinastateofresigneddilapidationandreturntofinditfilledwithallsuchthingsascomfortcombinedwithexcellenttastemightdemand，wasanenliveningexperience——orwouldhavebeensoundersomecircumstances。Asmattersstood，perhaps，hemighthavefeltbetterpleasedifthingshadbeenlesswelldone。Buttheywereverywelldone。Theyhadmanagedtoputthemselvesintherightinthisalso。Therichsobrietyofcolourandformleftnoopeningforsuperciliouscomment——whichwasaneatweaponitwasannoyingtoberobbedof。
Thedrawing—roomwasfresh，brightlycharming，andfullofflowers。Bettywasstandingbeforeanopenwindowwithhersister。Hiswife’sshoulders，heobservedatonce，hadabsolutelybeguntosuggestcontours。Atallevents，herbonesnolongerstuckout。Butonedidnotlookatone’swife’sshoulderswhenonecouldturnfromthemtoafairnessofvelvetandivory。\"Youknow，\"hesaid，approachingthem，\"Ifindallthisveryamazing。Ihavebeenlookingoutofmywindowontothegardens。\"
\"ItisBettywhohasdoneitall，\"saidRosy。
\"Ididnotsuspectyouofdoingit，mydearRosalie，\"smiling。
\"WhenIsawBettystandingintheavenue，Iknewatoncethatitwasshewhohadmendedthechimney—potsinthevillageandrehungthegates。\"
Forthepresent，atleast，itwasevidentthathemeanttobesufficientlyamiable。Atthedinnertablehewasconversationalandaskedmanyquestions，professinganaturalinterestinwhathadbeendone。Itwasnotdifficulttotalktoagirlwhoseeyesandshoulderscombinedthemselveswithaquickwitandapowertoattractwhichhereluctantlyownedhehadneverseenequalled。Hisreluctancearosefromthefactthatsuchapowercomplicatedmatters。Hemustbeonthedefensiveuntilheknewwhatshewasgoingtodo，whathemustdohimself，andwhatresultswereprobableorpossible。Hehadspenthislifeinintrigueofoneorderoranother。Heenjoyedoutwittingpeopleandratherpreferredtoattainanendbydeviouspaths。Hebeganeveryacquaintanceonthedefensive。
Hisargumentwasthatyouneverknewhowthingswouldturnout，consequently，itwasaswelltoconductone’sselfattheoutsetwiththediscreetforethoughtofamaninthepresenceofanenemy。HedidnotknowhowthingswouldturnoutinBetty’scase，anditwasalittleconfusingtofindone’sselfwatchingherwithasenseofexcitement。Hewouldhavepreferredtobecool——tobecold——andherealisedthathecouldnotkeephiseyesoffher。
\"Iremember，withregret，\"hesaidtoherlaterintheevening，\"thatwhenyouwereachildwewereenemies。\"
\"Iamafraidwewere，\"wasBetty’simpartialanswer。
\"Iamsureitwasmyfault，\"hesaid。\"Prayforgetit。
Sinceyouhaveaccomplishedsuchwonders，willyounot，inthemorning，takemeabouttheplaceandexplaintomehowithasbeendone？\"
WhenBettywenttoherroomshedismissedhermaidassoonaspossible，andsatforsometimealoneandwaiting。ShehadhadnoopportunitytospeaktoRosyinprivate，andshewassureshewouldcometoher。Inthecourseofhalfanhoursheheardaknockatthedoor。
Yes，itwasRosy，andhernewly—borncolourhadfledandleftherlookingdraggedagain。ShecameforwardanddroppedintoalowchairnearBetty，lettingherfacefallintoherhands。
\"I’mverysorry，Betty，\"shehalfwhispered，\"butitisnouse。\"
\"Whatisnouse？\"Bettyasked。
\"Nothingisanyuse。Alltheseyearshavemademesuchacoward。IsupposeIalwayswasacoward，butintheolddaysthereneverwasanythingtobeafraidof。\"
\"Whatareyoumostafraidofnow？\"
\"Idon’tknow。Thatistheworst。IamafraidofHIM——
justofhimself——ofthelookinhiseyes——ofwhathemaybeplanningquietly。Mystrengthdiesawaywhenhecomesnearme。\"
\"Whathashesaidtoyou？\"sheasked。
\"Hecameintomydressing—roomandsatandtalked。Helookedaboutfromonethingtoanotherandpretendedtoadmireitallandcongratulatedme。Butthoughhedidnotsneeratwhathesaw，hiseyesweresneeringatme。Hetalkedaboutyou。Hesaidthatyouwereaverycleverwoman。Idon’tknowhowhemanagestoimplythataverycleverwomanissomethingcunninganddebased——butitmeansthatwhenhesaysit。
Itseemstoinsinuatethingswhichmakeonegrowhotallover。\"
SheputoutahandandcaughtoneofBetty’s。
\"Betty，Betty，\"sheimplored。\"Don’tmakehimangry。Don’t。\"
\"Iamnotgoingtobeginbymakinghimangry，\"Bettysaid。\"AndIdonotthinkhewilltrytomakemeangry——atfirst。\"
\"No，hewillnot，\"criedRosalie。\"And——andyourememberwhatItoldyouwhenfirstwetalkedabouthim？\"
\"Anddoyouremember，\"wasBetty’sanswer，\"whatIsaidtoyouwhenIfirstmetyouinthepark？IfweweretocabletoNewYorkthismoment，wecouldreceiveananswerinafewhours。\"
\"Hewouldnotletusdoit，\"saidRosy。\"Hewouldstopusinsomeway——ashestoppedmyletterstomother——ashestoppedmewhenItriedtorunaway。Oh，Betty，Iknowhimandyoudonot。\"
\"Ishallknowhimbettereveryday。ThatiswhatImustdo。Imustlearntoknowhim。Hesaidsomethingmoretoyouthanyouhavetoldme，Rosy。Whatwasit？\"
\"HewaiteduntilDetchamleftme，\"LadyAnstruthersconfessed，morethanhalfreluctantly。\"Andthenhegotuptogoaway，andstoodwithhishandsrestingonthechairback，andspoketomeinalow，queervoice。Hesaid，`Don’ttrytoplayanytricksonme，mygoodgirl——anddon’tletyoursistertrytoplayany。Youwouldbothhavereasontoregretit。’\"
Shewasahalf—hypnotisedthing，andBetty，watchingherwithcuriousbuttendereyes，recognisedtheabnormality。
\"Ah，ifIamacleverwoman，\"shesaid，\"heisacleverman。Heisbeginningtoseethathispowerisslippingaway。
ThatwaswhatG。Seldenwouldcall`bluff。’\"
CHAPTERXXXI
NO，SHEWOULDNOT
SirNigeldidnotinviteRosalietoaccompanythem，whenthenextmorning，afterbreakfast，heremindedBettyofhissuggestionofthenightbefore，thatsheshouldwalkovertheplacewithhim，andshowhimwhathadbeendone。Hepreferredtomakehisstudyofhissister—in—lawundisturbed。
Therewasnodetailwhosesignificancehemissedastheywentabouttogether。Hehadkeeneyesandwasaquitesufficientlypracticalpersononsuchmattersasconcernedhisowninterests。Inthiscaseitwastohisinteresttomakeuphismindastowhathemightgainorlosebytheappearanceofhiswife’sfamily。Hedidnotmeantolose——ifitcouldbehelped——
anythingeitherofpersonalimportanceormaterialbenefit。Anditcouldonlybehelpedbyhiscomprehendingclearlywhathehadtodealwith。Bettywas，atpresent，thechieffactorinthesituation，andhewassufficientlyastutetoseethatshemightnotbeeasytoread。Hispersonaltheoriesconcerningwomenpresentedtohimtwoorthreeeffectivewaysofmanagingthem。
Youmadelovetothem，youflatteredthemeithersubtlyorgrossly，youroughlyorsmoothlybulliedthem，oryouharrowedthemwithhaughtyindifference——ifyourlove—makinghadproduceditspropereffect——whenitwasnecessarytolureordriveortrickthemintosubmission。Womenshouldbemadeusefulinonewayoranother。Littlefoolasshewas，Rosaliehadbeenuseful。Hehad，afterallwassaidanddone，hadsomecomparativelyeasyyearsastheresultofherexistence。Butshehadnotbeenusefulenough，andtherehadevenbeenmomentswhenhehadwonderedifhehadmadeamistakeinseparatingherentirelyfromherfamily。Theremighthavebeenmoretobegainedifhehadallowedthemtovisitherandhadplayedthepartofadevotedhusbandintheirpresence。Agreatbore，ofcourse，buttheycouldnothavespenttheirentirelivesatStornham。Twelveyearsago，however，hehadknownverylittleofAmericans，andhehadlosthistemper。Hewasreallyveryfondofhistemper，andratherenjoyedreferringtoitwithtolerantregretasbeingabadoneandbeyondhiscontrol——withamannerwhichsuggestedthattheattributewastheinevitableresultofstrengthofcharacterandmasculinespirit。Theluxuryofgivingwaytoitwasagreatone，anditwasexasperatingashewalkedaboutwiththishandsomegirltofindhimselfbeginningtosuspectthat，whereshewasconcerned，someself—
controlmightbenecessary。Hewasledtothisthoughtbecausethethingshetookinonallsidescouldonlyhavebeenachievedbyapersonwhosemindwasasteadily—balancedthing。Inone’streatmentofsuchacreature，methodsmustbewellchosen。
ThecrudesthadsufficedtooverwhelmRosalie。Hetriedtwoorthreelittlethingsasexperimentsduringtheirwalk。
ThefirstwastotouchwithdignifiedpathosonthesubjectofUghtred。Betty，heintimatedgently，couldimaginewhataman’sgriefanddisappointmentmightbeonfindinghissonandheirdeformedinsuchamanner。ThedelicatereservewithwhichhemanagedtoconveyhisfearthatRosalie’sownuncontrolledhystericattackshadbeenthecauseofthemisfortunewasverywelldone。Shehad，ofcourse，beenveryyoungandmuchspoiled，andhadnotlearnedself—restraint，poorgirl。
ItwasatthispointthatBettyfirstrealisedacertainhideousthing。Shemustactuallyremainsilent——therewouldbeattheoutsetmanytimeswhenshecouldonlyprotecthersisterbyrefrainingfromeitherdenialorargument。Ifsheturneduponhimnowwithrefutation，itwasRosywhowouldbecalledupontobeartheconsequences。HewouldgoatoncetoRosy，andsheherselfwouldhavedonewhatshehadsaidshewouldnotdo——shewouldhavebroughttroubleuponthepoorgirlbeforeshewasstrongenoughtobearit。Shesuspectedalsothathisintentionwastodiscoverhowmuchshehadheard，andifshemightbegoadedintobetrayingherattitudeinthematter。
Butshewasnottobesogoaded。Hewatchedhercloselyandherverycolouritselfseemedtobeunderherowncontrol。
Hehadexpected——ifshehadheardhysteric，garbledstoriesfromhiswife——toseeaflameofscarletleapuponthecheekhewasadmiring。Therewasnosuchleap，whichwasbafflinginitself。CoulditbethatexperiencehadtaughtRosaliethediscretionofkeepinghermouthshut？
\"IamveryfondofUghtred，\"wasthesolecommenthewasgranted。\"Wemadefriendsfromthefirst。Ashegrowsolderandstronger，hismisfortunemaybelessapparent。Hewillbeaverycleverman。\"
\"Hewillbeaveryclevermanifheisatalllike————\"Hecheckedhimselfwithaslightmovementofhisshoulders。\"I
wasgoingtosayathingutterlybanal。Ibegyourpardon。I
forgotforthemomentthatIwasnottalkingtoanEnglishgirl。\"
Itwassostupidthatsheturnedandlookedathim，smilingfaintly。Butheranswerwasquitemildandsoft。
\"DonotdeprivemeofcomplimentsbecauseIamamereAmerican，\"
shesaid。\"Iamveryfondofthem，andrespondatonce。\"
\"Youareverydaring，\"hesaid，lookingstraightintohereyes——\"deliciouslyso。Americanwomenalwaysare，Ithink。\"
\"Theyoungdevil，\"hewassayinginternally。\"Thebeautifulyoungdevil！Shethrowsoneoffthetrack。\"
Hefoundhimselfmoreandmoreattractedandexasperatedastheymadetheirrounds。Itwashissenseofbeingattractedwhichwasthecauseofhisexasperation。Agirlwhocouldstironelikethiswouldbeadangerousenemy。Evenasafriendshewouldnotbesafe，becauseonefacedtheabsurdperiloflosingone’sheadalittleandforgettingtheprecautionsoneshouldneverlosesightofwhereawomanwasconcerned——theprecautionswhichprovidedforone’sholdingagoodtautreininone’sownhands。
Theywentfromgardenstogreenhouses，fromgreenhousestostables，andhewasonthewatchforthemomentwhenshewouldrevealsomelittlefeminineposeorvanity，but，thismorning，atleast，shelaidnonebare。Shedidnotstrikehimasabeingofangelicperfections，butshewasverymodernandnotlikelytoshoweasilyanyopeningsinherarmour。
\"Ofcourse，Icontinuetobeamazed，\"hecommented，\"thoughoneoughtnottobeamazedatanythingwhichevolvesfromyourextraordinarycountry。Inspiteofyourimpersonalair，Ishallpersistinregardingyouasmybenefactor。But，tobefrank，IalwaystoldRosaliethatifshewouldwritetoyourfatherhewouldcertainlyputthingsinorder。\"
\"Shedidwriteonce，youwillremember，\"answeredBetty。
\"Didshe？\"withcourteousvagueness。\"Really，IamafraidIdidnothearofit。Mypoorwifehasherownlittleideasaboutthedisposalofherincome。\"
AndBettyknewthatshewasexpectedtobelievethatRosyhadhoardedthemoneysenttorestoretheplace，andfromsheerweakmiserlinesshadallowedherson’sheritagetofalltoruin。AndbutforRosy’ssake，shemighthavestoppeduponthepathand，lookingathimsquarely，havesaid，\"Youarelyingtome。AndIknowthetruth。\"
Hecontinuedtoconverseamiably。
\"Ofcourse，itisyouonemustthank，notonlyforrousinginthepoorgirlsomeinterestinherpersonalappearance，butalsosomeinterestinherneighbours。Somewomen，aftertheymarryandpassgirlhood，seemtoreleasetheirholdonalldesiretoattractorretainfriends。ForyearsRosaliehasgivenherselfuptoachronicsemi—invalidism。Whenthemistressofahouseisalwaysdepressedandlanguidanddoesnotreturnvisits，neighboursbecomediscouragedanddropoff，asitwere。\"
Ifhiswifehadtoldstoriestogainhersympathyhiscompanionwouldbesuretolosehertemperandshowherhand。Ifhecouldmakeheropenlylosehertemper，hewouldhavemadeanadvance。
\"Onecanquiteunderstandthat，\"shesaid。\"ItisagreathappinesstometoseeRosygaininggroundeveryday。Shehastakenmeoutwithheragoodmanytimes，andpeoplearebeginningtorealisethatshelikestoseethematStornham。\"
\"Youareverydelightful，\"hesaid，\"withyour`Shehastakenmeout。’WhenIglancedatthemagnificentarrayofcardsonthesalverinthehall，Irealisedanumberofthings，andquitevulgarlylostmybreath。TheDunholmshavebeenveryamiableinrecallingourexistence。ButcharmingAmericans——ofyourorder——arouseamiableemotions。\"
\"Iamveryamiablemyself，\"saidBetty。
Itwashewhoflushednow。Hewaslosingpatienceatfeelinghimselfheldwithsuchlightnessatarm’slength，andatbeing，inspiteofhimself，somehowcompelledtocontinuetoassumeajocularcourtesy。
\"No，youarenot，\"heanswered。
\"Not？\"repeatedBetty，withanincredulousliftingofherbrows。
\"Youarecharmingandclever，butIrathersuspectyouofbeingavixen。Atalleventsyouareaspiritedyoungwomanandquick—wittedenoughtounderstandtheattractionyoumusthaveforthesordidherd。\"
Andthenhebecameaware——ifnotofanopeninginherarmour——atleastofajointinit。Forhesaw，nearherear，adeepeningwarmth。Thatwasit。Shewasquick—witted，andshehidsomewhereahotpride。
\"Iconfess，however，\"heproceededcheerfully，\"thatnotwithstandingmyownexperienceofthehabitsofthesordidherd，IsawonecardIwassurprisedtofind，thoughreally\"
——shrugginghisshoulders——\"Ioughttohavebeenlesssurprisedtofinditthantofindanyother。Butitwasbold。I
supposethefellowisdesperate。\"
\"Youarespeakingof————？\"suggestedBetty。
\"OfMountDunstan。Hangitall，itWASbold！\"Asifinhalf—amuseddisgust。
Asshehadwalkedthroughthegardenpaths，Bettyhadatintervalsbentandgatheredaflower，untilsheheldinonehandaloose，fairsheaf。Atthismomentshestoopedtobreakoffaspireofpalebluecampanula。Andshewas——aswithashock——struckwithaconsciousnessthatshebentbecauseshemust——
becausetodosowasarefuge——aconcealmentofsomethingshemusthide。Ithadcomeuponherwithoutasecond’swarning。
SirNigelwasright。Shewasavixen——avirago。Shewasinsucharagethatherheartsprangupanddownandhercheekandeyeswereonfire。Herlong—trainedcontrolofherselfwasgone。Andhershockwasalightning—swiftawakeningtothefactthatshefeltallthis——shemusthideherface——becauseitwasthisoneman——justthisoneandnoother——whowasbeingdraggedintothisthingwithinsult。
Itwasanawakening，andshebrokeoff，ratherslowly，one——
two——three——evenfourcampanulastemsbeforeshestooduprightagain。
AsforNigelAnstruthers——hewentontalkinginhislow—
pitched，disgustedvoice。
\"Surelyhemightcounthimselfoutoftherunning。Therewillbeagooddealofrunning，mydearBetty。YoufairAmericanshavelearnedthatbythistime。Butthatamanwhohasnotevenadecentnametooffer——whoisblackballedbyhiscounty——shouldcoollypresenthimselfasapretendantisaninsolenceheshouldbekickedfor。\"
Bettyarrangedhercampanulascarefully。TherewasnoexteriorreasonwhysheshoulddrawswordinLordMountDunstan’sdefence。Hehadcertainlynotseemedtoexpectanythingintimatelyinterestedfromher。Hismannershehadgenerallyfelttoberatherrestrained。Butonecould，inameasure，expressone’sself。
\"Whatsoeverthe`running，’\"sheremarked，\"nopretendanthascomplimentedmebypresentinghimself，sofar——andLordMountDunstanisphysicallyanunusuallystrongman。\"
\"Youmeanitwouldbedifficulttokickhim？Isthispartisanship？Ihopenot。AmItounderstand，\"headdedwithdeliberation，\"thatRosaliehasreceivedhimhere？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Andthatyouhavereceivedhim，also——asyouhavereceivedLordWestholt？\"
\"Quite。\"
\"ThenImustdiscussthematterwithRosalie。Itisnottobediscussedwithyou。\"
\"Youmeanthatyouwillexerciseyourauthorityinthematter？\"
\"InEngland，mydeargirl，themasterofahouseisstillsometimesguiltyofexercisingauthorityinmatterswhichconcernthereputationofhisfemalerelatives。Intheabsenceofyourfather，Ishallnotallowyou，whileyouareundermyroof，toendangeryournameinanydegree。Iam，atleast，yourbrotherbymarriage。Iintendtoprotectyou。\"
\"Thankyou，\"saidBetty。
\"Youareyoungandextremelyhandsome，youwillhaveanenormousfortune，andyouhaveevidentlyhadyourownwayallyourlife。Agirl，suchasyouare，mayeithermakeamagnificentmarriageoraridiculousandhumiliatingone。
NeitherAmericanyoungwomen，norEnglishyoungmen，areasdisinterestedastheyweresomeyearsago。Eachhasbeguntolearnwhattheotherhastogive。\"
\"Ithinkthatistrue，\"commentedBetty。
\"Insomecasesthereisagooddealtobeexchangedonbothsides。Youhaveagreatdealtogive，andshouldgetexchangeworthaccepting。Abeggaredestateandataintedtitlearenotgoodenough。\"
\"Thatisbusinesslike，\"Bettymadecommentagain。
SirNigellaughedquietly。
\"Thefactis——Ihopeyouwon’tmisunderstandmysayingit——youdonotstrikemeasbeingUN—businesslike，yourself。\"
\"Iamnot，\"answeredBetty。
\"Ithoughtnot，\"rathernarrowinghiseyesashewatchedher，becausehebelievedthatshemustinvoluntarilyshowherhandifheirritatedhersufficiently。\"Youdonotimpressmeasbeingoneofthegirlswhomakeunsuccessfulmarriages。
YouareamodernNewYorkbeauty——notanearlyVictoriansentimentalist。\"Hedidnotdespairofresultsfromhisprocessofirritation。Togentlybutsteadilyconveytoabeautifulandspiritedyoungcreaturethatnomancouldapproachherwithoutulteriormotivewasratheragoodidea。Ifonecouldmakeitclear——withacasualairofsensiblytakingitforgranted——
thatthenaturalpowerofyouth，wit，andbeautywererenderedimpotentbyagreatnessoffortunewhoseproportionsobliteratedallelse；ifonesimplyarguedfromthepremisethatyounglovewasnoaffairofhers，sinceshemustalwaysberegardedasagildedchattel，whosecostwaswritlargeinplainfigures，whatgirl，withbloodinherveins，couldendureitlongwithoutwincing？Thisgirlhadundue，and，asheregardedsuchmatters，unseemlycontroloverhertemperandhernerves，butshehadbloodenoughinherveins，andpresentlyshewouldsayordosomethingwhichwouldgivehimalead。
\"Whenyoumarry————\"hebegan。
Sheliftedherheaddelicately，butendedthesentenceforhimwitheyeswhichwereactuallynotunsmiling。
\"WhenImarry，IshallasksomethinginexchangeforwhatIhavetogive。\"
\"Iftheexchangeistobeequal，youmustaskagreatdeal，\"
heanswered。\"ThatiswhyyoumustbeprotectedfromsuchfellowsasMountDunstan。\"
\"Ifitbecomesnecessary，perhapsIshallbeabletoprotectmyself，\"shesaid。
\"Ah！\"regretfully，\"IamafraidIhaveannoyedyou——
andthatyouneedprotectionmorethanyoususpect。\"Ifshewerefleshandblood，shecouldscarcelyresistresentingtheimplicationcontainedinthis。Butresistitshedid，andwithacoollittlesmilewhichstirredhimtosudden，ifirritated，admiration。
Shepausedasecond，andusedthetouchofgentleregretherself。
\"Youhavewoundedmyvanitybyintimatingthatmyadmirersdonotlovemeformyselfalone。\"
Hepaused，also，and，narrowinghiseyesagain，lookedstraightbetweenherlashes。
\"Theyoughttoloveyouforyourselfalone，\"hesaid，inalowvoice。\"Youareadeucedlyattractivegirl。\"
\"Oh，Betty，\"Rosyhadpleaded，\"don’tmakehimangry——don’tmakehimangry。\"
SoBettyliftedhershouldersslightlywithoutcomment。
\"Shallwegobacktothehousenow？\"shesaid。\"Rosaliewillnaturallybeanxioustohearthatwhathasbeendoneinyourabsencehasmetwithyourapproval。\"
InwhatmannerhisapprovalwasexpressedtoRosalie，Bettydidnothearthismorning，atleast。Externallycoolthoughshehadappeared，theprocesshadnotbeenwithoutitsresults，andshefeltthatshewouldprefertobealone。
\"Imustwritesomeletterstocatchthenextsteamer，\"
shesaid，asshewentupstairs。
Whensheenteredherroom，shewenttoherwritingtableandsatdown，withpenandpaperbeforeher。Shedrewthepapertowardsherandtookupthepen，butthenextmomentshelaiditdownandgaveaslightpushtothepaper。Asshedidsosherealisedthatherhandtrembled。
\"Imustnotletmyselfformthehabitoffallingintorages——orIshallnotbeabletokeepstillsomeday，whenIoughttodoit，\"shewhispered。\"Iaminafury——afury。\"
Andforamomentshecoveredherface。
Shewasastronggirl，butagirl，notwithstandingherpowers。Whatshesuddenlysawwasthat，asifbyonemovementofsomepowerfulunseenhand，Rosy，whohadbeenthecentreofallthings，hadbeensweptoutofherthought。HerangerattheinjusticedonetoRosyhadbeenasnothingbeforethefirewhichhadflamedinherattheinsultflungattheother。Andallthatwasundueandunbalanced。Onemightaswelllookthethingstraightlyintheface。HeroldchildhatredofNigelAnstruthershadsprungupagaininten—foldstrength。Therewas，itwastrue，somethingabominableabouthim，somethingwhichmadehiswordsmoreabominablethantheywouldhavebeenifanothermanhadutteredthem——but，thoughitwasinevitablethathismethodshouldrouseone，wherethoseofone’sownbloodwereconcerned，itwasnotenoughtofillonewithragingflamewhenhismalignitywasdealingwiththosewhowerealmoststrangers。MountDunstanwasalmostastranger——shehadmetLordWestholtoftener。Wouldshehavefeltthesamehotbeatoftheblood，ifLordWestholthadbeenconcerned？
No，sheansweredherselffrankly，shewouldnot。
