hought this
she heard steps come along the passage outside, then her door opened.

Daisy entered. She was very pale, but in each cheek there flamed one
high spot of colour. She stood quite still by the door for a moment,
looking at her aunt, then closed it and advanced into the room.

"It is true, then, Aunt Jeannie," she said, "that you are engaged to
Victor Braithwaite? I came up from Bray to ask you that, to know it from
your own lips."

Jeannie did not move, nor did she give Daisy any word of conventional
greeting.

"It is quite true," she said.

Daisy began pulling off her gloves.

"I congratulate you," she said. "It came as rather a surprise to me.
Aunt Alice told me. I think she understood why it was a surprise to me.
I wonder if you do?"

Daisy appeared to be keeping a very firm hand on herself. There was no
question that she was speaking under some tremendous stress of emotion,
but her voice was quite quiet. It trembled a little, but that was all,
and it seemed to Jeannie that that tremor was of anger more than of
self-pity or sorrow. She was glad--in so far as she was glad of
anything--that this was so.

"I see you don't answer me," said Daisy, "and, indeed, there is no need.
But I want an answer to this question, Aunt Jeannie. Why did you do it?
Don't you think I have a right to know that?"

For one moment it occurred to Jeannie to profess and to persist in
professing that she did not know what Daisy meant. But that would have
been useless, and worse than useless--unworthy. In her utter perplexity
she tried another tack.

"Is it my fault that he fell in love with me?" she said.

"Did you not mean him to?" asked Daisy. "And all the time, while you
meant him to, you were engaged to Mr. Braithwaite."

There was still anger in Daisy's voice. Jeannie felt she could bear
that; what she felt she could not bear would be if Daisy broke down. So
she encouraged that.

"I do not see by what right you question me," she said. "Lord
Lindfield fell in love with me; last night he proposed to me. Ask
him why he did that."

"He did that because you fascinated and dazzled him," said Daisy;
"because you meant him to fall in love with you."

"Then I wonder you have not more spirit," said Jeannie. "You see how
easily he turned from you to me. Can you then believe he was ever in
love with you? You may have wanted to marry him; at least----"

And then she paused, knowing she had made the most ghastly mistake, and