d Fanny. "And it's
private!" She looked at Mrs. Colwood, with whom she had exchanged a
frosty greeting. Diana made a little imploring sign, and
Muriel--unwillingly--moved away toward the house.

"Well, I don't suppose you want to have anything to do with me," said
Fanny, after a moment, in a sulky voice. "But, after all, you're
mother's niece. I'm in a pretty tight fix, and it mightn't be very
pleasant for you if things came to the worst."

She had thrown off her hat, and was patting and pulling the numerous
puffs and bandeaux, in which her hair was arranged, with a nervous hand.
Diana was aghast at her appearance. The dirty finery of her dress had
sunk many degrees in the scale of decency and refinement since
February. Her staring brunette color had grown patchy and unhealthy, her
eyes had a furtive audacity, her lips a coarseness, which might have
been always there; but in the winter, youth and high spirits had to some
extent disguised them.

"Aren't you soon going home?" asked Diana, looking at her with a
troubled brow.

"No, I'm--I'm engaged. I thought you might have known that!" The girl
turned fiercely upon her.

"No--I hadn't heard--"

"Well, I don't know where you live all your time!" said Fanny,
impatiently. "There's heaps of people at Dunscombe know that I've been
engaged to Fred Birch for three months. I wasn't going to write to you,
of course, because I--well!--I knew you thought I'd been rough on
you--about that--you know."

"_Fred Birch!_" Diana's voice was faltering and amazed.

Fanny twisted her hat in her hands.

"He's all right," she said, angrily, "if his business hadn't been ruined
by a lot of nasty crawling tale-tellers. If people'd only mind their own
business! However, there it is--he's ruined--he hasn't got a penny
piece--and, of course, he can't marry me, if--well, if somebody don't
help us out."

Diana's face changed.

"Do you mean that I should help you out?"

"Well, there's no one else!" said Fanny, still, as it seemed, defying
something or some one.

"I gave you--a thousand pounds."

"You gave it _mother I_ I got precious little of it. I've had to borrow,
lately, from people in the boarding-house. And I can't get any
more--there! I'm just broke--stony."

She was still looking straight before her, but her lip trembled.

Diana bent forward impetuously.

"Fanny!" she said, laying her hand on her cousin's, "_do_ go home!"

Fanny's lip continued to tremble.

"I tell you