he open door. There was no
mistaking her meaning. With a shame-faced bow, struggling with an
unruly smile, Bob Broadley got through it somehow. Janie was left alone
with Mrs Iver.

Such occurrences as these are very deplorable. Almost of necessity they
impair a daughter's proper position of superiority and put her in a
relation toward her mother which no self-respecting young woman would
desire to occupy. It might be weeks before Janie Iver could really
assert her dignity again. It was strong proof of her affection for Bob
Broadley that, considering the matter in her own room (she had not been
exactly sent there, but a retreat had seemed advisable) she came to the
conclusion that, taking good and bad together, she was on the whole glad
that he had called.

But to Bob, with the selfishness of man, Mrs Iver's sudden appearance
wore rather an amusing aspect. It certainly could not spoil his triumph
or impair his happiness.

XV

AN INQUISITION INTERRUPTED

"My mother told it me just as a bit of gossip. She didn't believe it, no
more did I."

"But you repeated it."

It was Iver who was pressing her. He was not now the kind host Mina knew
so well. He was rather the keen man of business, impatient of shuffling,
incredulous of any action for which he could not see the motive,
distrustful and very shrewd.

"Oh, I repeated it to my uncle, because I thought it might amuse
him--just for something to say."

"Your idea of small talk is rather peculiar," was Iver's dry comment. He
looked at the Major on his right, and at Neeld on his left at the table;
Mina was opposite, like the witness before the committee.

"So is yours of politeness," she cried. "It's my house. Why do you come
and bully me in it?"

Duplay was sullenly furious. Poor Mr Neeld's state was lamentable. He
had not spoken a word throughout the interview. He had taken refuge in
nodding, exhausting the significance of nods in reply to the various
appeals that the other three addressed to him. If their meaning had been
developed, his nods must have landed him in a pitiable mess of
inconsistencies; he had tried to agree with everybody, to sympathize all
round, to indorse universally. He had won momentary applause, and in the
end created general dissatisfaction.

Iver had his temper in hand still, but he was hard and resolute.

"You don't seem to understand the seriousness of the thing in the
least," he said. "I've spoken plainly to you. My daughter'