t
each other without speaking. Then Mr. Royall closed the door-latch and
advanced a few steps.

Charity jumped to her feet. "What have you come for?" she stammered.

The last glare of the sunset was on her guardian's face, which looked
ash-coloured in the yellow radiance.

"Because I knew you were here," he answered simply.

She had become conscious of the hair hanging loose across her breast,
and it seemed as though she could not speak to him till she had set
herself in order. She groped for her comb, and tried to fasten up the
coil. Mr. Royall silently watched her.

"Charity," he said, "he'll be here in a minute. Let me talk to you
first."

"You've got no right to talk to me. I can do what I please."

"Yes. What is it you mean to do?"

"I needn't answer that, or anything else."

He had glanced away, and stood looking curiously about the illuminated
room. Purple asters and red maple-leaves filled the jar on the table; on
a shelf against the wall stood a lamp, the kettle, a little pile of cups
and saucers. The canvas chairs were grouped about the table.

"So this is where you meet," he said.

His tone was quiet and controlled, and the fact disconcerted her.
She had been ready to give him violence for violence, but this calm
acceptance of things as they were left her without a weapon.

"See here, Charity--you're always telling me I've got no rights over
you. There might be two ways of looking at that--but I ain't going
to argue it. All I know is I raised you as good as I could, and meant
fairly by you always except once, for a bad half-hour. There's no
justice in weighing that half-hour against the rest, and you know it. If
you hadn't, you wouldn't have gone on living under my roof. Seems to me
the fact of your doing that gives me some sort of a right; the right
to try and keep you out of trouble. I'm not asking you to consider any
other."

She listened in silence, and then gave a slight laugh. "Better wait till
I'm in trouble," she said. He paused a moment, as if weighing her words.
"Is that all your answer?"

"Yes, that's all."

"Well--I'll wait."

He turned away slowly, but as he did so the thing she had been waiting
for happened; the door opened again and Harney entered.

He stopped short with a face of astonishment, and then, quickly
controlling himself, went up to Mr. Royall with a frank look.

"Have you come to see me, sir?" he said coolly, throwing his cap on the
table with an air of propr