le to Mrs Mackenzie, having convinced herself that she could
not carry out her plan of leaving Cavendish Square without some
explanation of the kind. She did not know how to make her speech with
propriety, so she jumped at the difficulty boldly. "The truth is, Mrs
Mackenzie, that he has no more idea of marrying me than he has of
marrying you."

"Margaret, how can you talk such nonsense?"

"It is not nonsense; it is true; and it will be much better that it
should all be understood at once. I have nothing to blame him for,
nothing; and I don't blame him; but I cannot bear this kind of life
any longer. It is killing me. What business have I to be living here
in this way, when I have got nothing of my own, and have no one to
depend on but myself?"

"Then he must have said something to you; but, whatever it was, you
cannot but have misunderstood him."

"No; he has said nothing, and I have not misunderstood him." Then
there was a pause. "He has said nothing to me, and I am bound to
understand what that means."

"Margaret, I want to put one question to you," said Mrs Mackenzie,
speaking with a serious air that was very unusual with her,--"and
you will understand, dear, that I only do so because of what you are
saying now."

"You may put any question you please to me," said Margaret.

"Has your cousin ever asked you to be his wife, or has he not?"

"Yes, he has. He has asked me twice."

"And what answer did you make him?"

"When I thought all the property was mine, I refused him. Then, when
the property became his, he asked me again, and I accepted him.
Sometimes, when I think of that, I feel so ashamed of myself, that I
hardly dare to hold up my head."

"But you did not accept him simply because you had lost your money."

"No; but it looks so like it; does it not? And of course he must
think that I did so."

"I am quite sure he thinks nothing of the kind. But he did ask you,
and you did accept him?"

"Oh, yes."

"And since that, has he ever said anything to you to signify that the
match should be broken off?"

"The very day after he had asked me, Mr Maguire came to the Cedars
and saw me, and Lady Ball was there too. And he was very false, and
told my aunt things that were altogether untrue. He said that--that I
had promised to marry him, and Lady Ball believed him."

"But did Mr Ball believe him?"

"My aunt said all that she could against me, and when John spoke to
me the next day, it was clear that he