next time, asking Leonard, in his sister's
absence, whether he had come to his senses and would apologize?
Leonard hoped Henry had come to his! On the whole, the dispute had
lost some asperity by the absence of Averil, and though Leonard held
his ground, and maintained that he had every right to deny the
statement, and that it was Henry's duty to make Mrs. Pugh contradict it
everywhere, yet the two approached nearer together, and there was less
misunderstanding, fewer personalities.

But Averil could not forget or forgive. She persisted in manifesting
her displeasure, and recurred to the subject till her pertinacity wore
out Leonard himself.

'Nonsense, Ave,' he said at last, 'it was a foolish woman's gossip that
Henry ought to have quashed; but that is no reason you should treat
them like toads.'

'Would you have me sanction vile slander?'

'As if you were sanctioning slander by being decently civil! Is not it
an intolerable thing that we three should never sit down to a meal in
peace together?'

'O, Leonard, don't you think I feel the misery?'

Put an end to it then, and don't pit those poor children one against
the other. Just fancy Minna's saying to me, "I love you and sister,
but Ella loves Mrs. Pugh and Henry."'

'Yes, they have set Ella against me. She always appeals to Henry, and
I can do nothing with her.'

Leonard looked out of the window and whistled, then said, as if he had
made a discovery, 'I'll tell you what, Ave, something must be done to
set things to rights between us, and I believe the best thing will be
to call on Mrs. Pugh.'

'Not to apologize! O, Leonard!'

'Stuff and nonsense! Only to show we don't bear malice. Henry had
been at you to call ever so long before this, had he not?'

'I can't see any reason for intimacy.'

'I declare, Ave, you are too bad! I only want you just to keep the
peace with your own brother. You have led him the life of a dog these
three days, and now when I want you to be a little obliging, you talk
of intimacy!'

'Only because I know how it will be. If I give that woman an inch, she
will take an ell.'

'Let her then. It would be much better than always living at
daggers-drawn with one's brother.' Then, after waiting for her to say
something, he added, 'If you won't go with me, I shall go alone.'

Averil rose, subdued but not convinced, reverencing her brother, but
afraid of his concessions.

However, the call turned out well. Mrs. Pugh ha