t him, and her eyes
fixed as unsympathetically as possible upon his own. "What you propose,
then, as I understand it," she said in a moment, "is that I should
betray my sister to you."

"Worse than that; I propose that you should betray Miss Tarrant
herself."

"What do I care about Miss Tarrant? I don't know what you are talking
about."

"Haven't you really any idea where she is living? Haven't you seen her
here? Are Miss Olive and she not constantly together?"

Mrs. Luna, at this, turned full round upon him, and, with folded arms
and her head tossed back, exclaimed: "Look here, Basil Ransom, I never
thought you were a fool, but it strikes me that since we last met you
have lost your wits!"

"There is no doubt of that," Ransom answered, smiling.

"Do you mean to tell me you don't know everything about Miss Tarrant
that can be known?"

"I have neither seen her nor heard of her for the last ten weeks; Miss
Chancellor has hidden her away."

"Hidden her away, with all the walls and fences of Boston flaming to-day
with her name?"

"Oh yes, I have noticed that, and I have no doubt that by waiting till
this evening I shall be able to see her. But I don't want to wait till
this evening; I want to see her now, and not in public--in private."

"Do you indeed?--how interesting!" cried Mrs. Luna, with rippling
laughter. "And pray what do you want to do with her?"

Ransom hesitated a little. "I think I would rather not tell you."

"Your charming frankness, then, has its limits! My poor cousin, you are
really too _naif_. Do you suppose it matters a straw to me?"

Ransom made no answer to this appeal, but after an instant he broke out:
"Honestly, Mrs. Luna, can you give me no clue?"

"Lord, what terrible eyes you make, and what terrible words you use!
'Honestly,' quoth he! Do you think I am so fond of the creature that I
want to keep her all to myself?"

"I don't know; I don't understand," said Ransom, slowly and softly, but
still with his terrible eyes.

"And do you think I understand any better? You are not a very edifying
young man," Mrs. Luna went on; "but I really think you have deserved a
better fate than to be jilted and thrown over by a girl of that class."

"I haven't been jilted. I like her very much, but she never encouraged
me."

At this Mrs. Luna broke again into articulate scoffing. "It is very odd
that at your age you should be so little a man of the world!"

Ransom made her no other answer than