lf of herself--had left her. She tried to
summon her pluck but there was no pluck there. She could only want
Martin, over and over again inside herself. Had any one been, ever so
hopelessly ALONE before?

"Maggie, I am angry," said Aunt Anne. She said it as though she meant
it. Amazing how human this strange aloof creature had become. As though
some coloured saint bright with painted wood and tinsel before whom one
stood in reverence slipped down suddenly and with fingers of flesh and
blood struck one's face. Her cheeks were flushed, her beautiful hands
were no longer thin but were hard and active.

"What have I done, aunt?" asked Maggie.

"You have not treated us fairly. My sister and I have done everything
for you. You have not made it especially easy for us in any way, but we
have tried to give you what you wanted. You have repaid is with
ingratitude."

She paused, but Maggie said nothing. She went on:

"Lately--these last three weeks--we have given you complete liberty. I
advised that strongly against my sister's opinion because I thought you
weren't happy. You didn't make friends amongst our friends, and I
thought you should have the chance of finding some who were younger and
gayer than we were. Then I thought we could trust you. You have many
faults, but I believed that you were honest."

"I am honest!" Maggie broke in. Her aunt went on:

"You have used the liberty we gave you during these weeks to make
yourself the talk of our friends. You have been meeting Mr. Martin
Warlock secretly every day. You have been alone with him in the Park
and at the theatre. I know that you are young and very ignorant. You
could not have known that Martin Warlock is a man with whom no girl who
respects herself would be seen alone--"

"That is untrue!" Maggie flamed out.

"--and," went on Aunt Anne, "we would have forgiven that. It is your
deceit to ourselves that we cannot forget. Day after day you were
meeting him and pretending that you went to your other friends. I am
disappointed in you, bitterly disappointed. I saw from the first that
you did not mean to care for us, now, as well, you have disgraced us--"

Maggie began: "Yes, I have been seeing Martin. I didn't think it
wrong--I don't now. I didn't tell you because I was afraid that you
would stop me--"

"Then that shows that you knew it was wrong."

"No, Aunt Anne--only that you would think it was wrong. I can only go
by myself, by what I feel is wrong I mean.