efenceless!"

Lady Nottingham was silent, knowing that it is useless to argue over
questions of feeling; for no amount of reasoning, however admirable, can
affect a question about which the heart has taken sides. And after a
moment Jeannie went on:--

"And it is not the dead alone," she said. "There is Daisy also to
consider. Had I made no promise at all, I think I would do anything as
distasteful and odious to me as that which I am going to do, for the
sake of keeping that dreadful knowledge from her. Alice, think if you
had had a sister like that! Could you ever get rid of the poison of it?
And it is an awful thing to let a young soul be poisoned. When we grow
older, we get, I suppose, better digestions; poisons affect us less.
That is the worst of growing old."

Again she paused.

"And now, dear--as they say at the end of sermons--let us talk no
more about it. You will see me in an odious role down at Bray; but it
will be something to know that you are aware it is a role, an odious
role assumed for a good purpose. I shall seem detestable to Daisy,
and she will not be able to believe her eyes, until she is forced to.
I shall seem charming to him, Tom Lindfield, until at the end, when,
as we hope, Daisy is convinced, I shall turn round like the flirt and
say, 'What do you mean?' I shall seem odious to myself, but I do not
believe I shall seem odious to Victor. I think he will know there is
something he does not understand. Perhaps I shall do it all very
badly, and not succeed in detaching him at all from Daisy. It is true
I have not had much practice, for I assure you I am not a flirt by
nature. Oh, Alice, can't you think of any other plan? I can't, and I
have thought so hard. Have you got a very large party? I don't want a
full house to witness this disgusting performance. I shall have to be
so cheap. I wish Victor was not going to be there. At least, I am not
sure. I think he will see he does not understand. It is bad luck,
you know, that of all men in the world this should be the one whom
Daisy thinks about marrying. Now let us dismiss it altogether."

Lady Nottingham felt a certain sense of injustice.

"Dear Jeannie," she said, "you have done all the talking, and, having
expressed your views, you say, 'Let us dismiss it altogether.' By all
means, if you choose; but I haven't had a chance. You have prophesied
success to your scheme; I prophesy disaster. You are not fitted for your
role; you will break down lo