nt it.' She said this with obvious
reference to the flourish of the Dictator's cane; and it must be owned
that a very pretty flash of light came into her eyes which signified
that if she had quite her own way the offence might be resented after
all.

'No, of course he can't resent it,' the Dictator said, in a tone which
unmistakably conveyed the idea, 'and more's the pity.'

'Then what is the good of thinking about it?' Helena pleaded. 'Please,
Mr. Ericson, don't trouble yourself in the least about it. These things
will appear in those papers. If it were not you it would be somebody
else. After all we must remember that there are two sides to this
question as well as to others. I do not owe my publicity in the society
papers to any merits or even to any demerits of my own. I am known to be
the heiress to a large fortune, and the daughter of a Secretary of
State.'

'That is no reason why you should be insulted.'

'No, certainly. But do you not think that in this over-worked and
over-miserable England of ours there are thousands and thousands of poor
girls ever so much better than I, who would be only too delighted to
exchange with me--to put up with the paragraphs in the society papers
for the sake of the riches and the father--and to abandon to me without
a sigh the thimble and the sewing machine, and the daily slavery in the
factory or behind the counter? Why, Mr. Ericson, only think of it. I can
sit down whenever I like, and there are thousands and thousands of poor
girls in England who dare not sit down during all their working hours.'

She spoke with increasing animation.

The Dictator looked at her with a genuine admiration. He knew that all
she said was the true outcome of her nature and her feelings. Her
sparkling eyes proclaimed the truth.

'You look at it rightly,' the Dictator said at last, 'and I feel almost
ashamed of my scruples. Almost--but not quite--for they were scruples on
your account and not upon my own.'

'Of course I know that,' she interrupted hastily. 'But please, Mr.
Ericson, don't mind me. I don't care, and I know my father won't care.
Do not--please do not--let this interfere in the least with your
friendship; I cannot lose your friendship for this sort of thing. After
all, you see, they can't force you to marry me if you don't want to;'
and then she stopped, and was afraid, perhaps, that she had spoken too
lightly and saucily, and that he might think her wanting in feeling. He
did n