: Arthur tells Ella, Ella tells Henrietta, and Henrietta
tells----"

"Don't laugh, please, mama," Mildred begged. "Of course Arthur didn't
tell anybody. It's roundabout enough, but it's true. I know it! I
hadn't quite believed it, but I knew it was true when he got so red. He
looked--oh, for a second or so he looked--stricken! He thought I didn't
notice it. Mama, he's been to see her almost every evening lately. They
take long walks together. That's why he hasn't been here."

Of Mrs. Palmer's laughter there was left only her indulgent smile, which
she had not allowed to vanish. "Well, what of it?" she said.

"Mama!"

"Yes," said Mrs. Palmer. "What of it?"

"But don't you see?" Mildred's well-tutored voice, though modulated and
repressed even in her present emotion, nevertheless had a tendency to
quaver. "It's true. Frank Dowling was going to see her one evening and
he saw Arthur sitting on the stoop with her, and didn't go in. And Ella
used to go to school with a girl who lives across the street from here.
She told Ella----"

"Oh, I understand," Mrs. Palmer interrupted. "Suppose he does go there.
My dear, I said, 'What of it?'"

"I don't see what you mean, mama. I'm so afraid he might think we knew
about it, and that you and papa said those things about her and her
father on that account--as if we abused them because he goes there
instead of coming here."

"Nonsense!" Mrs. Palmer rose, went to a window, and, turning there,
stood with her back to it, facing her daughter and looking at her
cheerfully. "Nonsense, my dear! It was perfectly clear that she was
mentioned by accident, and so was her father. What an extraordinary man!
If Arthur makes friends with people like that, he certainly knows better
than to expect to hear favourable opinions of them. Besides, it's only a
little passing thing with him."

"Mama! When he goes there almost every----"

"Yes," Mrs. Palmer said, dryly. "It seems to me I've heard somewhere
that other young men have gone there 'almost every!' She doesn't
last, apparently. Arthur's gallant, and he's impressionable--but
he's fastidious, and fastidiousness is always the check on
impressionableness. A girl belongs to her family, too--and this one does
especially, it strikes me! Arthur's very sensible; he sees more than
you'd think."

Mildred looked at her hopefully. "Then you don't believe he's likely to
imagine we said those things of her in any meaning way?"

At this, Mrs. Palmer lau