not altogether trustworthy, however, the
Professor felt sure, for he had seen, at moments, when something had
deeply stirred her, expressions anything but soft come into her face.
He thought her capable of many things of which the well-brought-up young
Englishwoman is not supposed to dream. It seemed to him, that she had at
least two distinct natures that were at war with one another: the one
greedy and pleasure-loving, careless and even reckless; the other
deep-seeing and aspiring. But which of these two tendencies would
experience probably foster?

"I wonder what you like best, next to acidulated drops," he said at
length, with one of his half-bantering smiles.

"There are few things in this wide world that can be mentioned in the
same breath with them, but toffy also has its potency upon the spirit."

"I like not this mocking tone."

"Then I will not mock," she said.

"Yes, Hadria," he went on meditatively, "you have grown up, if an old
friend may make such remarks, very much as I expected, from the promise
of your childhood. You used to puzzle me even then."

"Do I puzzle you now?" she asked.

"Inexpressibly!"

"How amusing! But how?"

"One can generally see at a glance, or pretty soon, the general trend of
a character. But not with you. Nothing that I might hear of you in the
future, would very much surprise me. I should say to myself, 'Yes, the
germ was there.'"

Hadria paled a little. "Either good or bad you mean?"

"Well----"

"Yes, I understand." She drew herself together, crossing her arms, and
looking over the hills, with eyes that burned with a sort of fear and
defiance mingled. It was a singular expression, which the Professor
noted with a sense of discomfort.

Hadria slowly withdrew her eyes from the horizon, and bent them on the
ground.

"You must have read some of my thoughts," she said. "I often wonder how
it is, that the world can drill women into goodness at all." She raised
her head, and went on in a low, bitter tone: "I often wonder why it is,
that they don't, one and all, fling up their _roles_ and revenge
themselves to the best of their ability--intentionally, I mean--upon the
world that makes them live under a permanent insult. I think, at times,
that I should thoroughly enjoy spending my life in sheer, unmitigated
vengeance, and if I did"--she clenched her hands, and her eyes
blazed--"if I did, I would not do my work by halves!"

"I am sure you would not," said the Professor