itude to life with an extraordinary wealth
of detail; she threw in descriptive passages of her personal appearance,
and she stated, with extreme frankness, her opinion of such persons as
she had thought friendly, but now discovered to be hypocritical parsons
in disguise. Unhappily I have not the skill to transcribe her speech in
full, and there are other reasons, too, why her actual words are best
unreported: they were extremely picturesque.

Frank ate on quietly till he had finished his herring; then he drank his
last cup of tea, and turned a little in his chair towards the fire. He
glanced at the clock, perceiving that he had still ten minutes, just as
Gertie ended and stood back shaking and pale-eyed.

"Is that all?" he asked.

It seemed it was not all, and Gertie began again, this time on a
slightly higher note, and with a little color in her face. Frank waited,
quite simply and without ostentation. She finished.

After a moment's pause Frank answered.

"I don't know what you want," he said. "I talked to you myself, and you
wouldn't listen. So I thought perhaps another woman would do it
better--"

"I did listen--"

"I beg your pardon," said Frank instantly. "I was wrong. You did listen,
and very patiently. I meant that you wouldn't do what I said. And so I
thought--"

Gertie burst out again, against cats and sneaking hypocrites, but there
was not quite the same venom in her manner.

"Very good," said Frank. "Then I won't make the mistake again. I am very
sorry--not in the least for having interfered, you understand, but for
not having tried again myself." (He took up his cap.) "You'll soon give
in, Gertie, you know. Don't you think so yourself?"

Gertie looked at him in silence.

"You understand, naturally, why I can't talk to you while the Major's
here. But the next time I have a chance--"

The unlatched door was pushed open and the Major came in.

(II)

There was an uncomfortable little pause for a moment. It is extremely
doubtful, even now, exactly how much the Major heard; but he must have
heard something, and to a man of his mind the situation that he found
must have looked extremely suspicious. Gertie, flushed now, with emotion
very plainly visible in her bright eyes, was standing looking at Frank,
who, it appeared, was a little disconcerted. It would have been almost
miraculous if the Major had not been convinced that he had interrupted a
little private love-making.

It is rather hard to