ou roughly or smoothly bullied them,
or you harrowed them with haughty indifference--if your love-making had
produced its proper effect--when it was necessary to lure or drive or
trick them into submission. Women should be made useful in one way or
another. Little fool as she was, Rosalie had been useful. He had, after
all was said and done, had some comparatively easy years as the result
of her existence. But she had not been useful enough, and there had even
been moments when he had wondered if he had made a mistake in separating
her entirely from her family. There might have been more to be gained
if he had allowed them to visit her and had played the part of a devoted
husband in their presence. A great bore, of course, but they could not
have spent their entire lives at Stornham. Twelve years ago, however, he
had known very little of Americans, and he had lost his temper. He was
really very fond of his temper, and rather enjoyed referring to it with
tolerant regret as being a bad one and beyond his control--with a manner
which suggested that the attribute was the inevitable result of strength
of character and masculine spirit. The luxury of giving way to it was a
great one, and it was exasperating as he walked about with this handsome
girl to find himself beginning to suspect that, where she was concerned,
some self-control might be necessary. He was led to this thought because
the things he took in on all sides could only have been achieved by a
person whose mind was a steadily-balanced thing. In one's treatment of
such a creature, methods must be well chosen. The crudest had sufficed
to overwhelm Rosalie. He tried two or three little things as experiments
during their walk.

The first was to touch with dignified pathos on the subject of Ughtred.
Betty, he intimated gently, could imagine what a man's grief and
disappointment might be on finding his son and heir deformed in such a
manner. The delicate reserve with which he managed to convey his fear
that Rosalie's own uncontrolled hysteric attacks had been the cause of
the misfortune was very well done. She had, of course, been very young
and much spoiled, and had not learned self-restraint, poor girl.

It was at this point that Betty first realised a certain hideous thing.
She must actually remain silent--there would be at the outset many times
when she could only protect her sister by refraining from either denial
or argument. If she turned upon him now with refut