k pulled out
of shape and set that way.

"I said to myself," Ted went on, "'What's _she_ getting out of it?'" His
voice came up on that; he said it rather roughly.

Her face flamed. "If _this_ is what you have come here to say--" she
began in a low angry voice. "If this is what you have intruded into my
house for--_you_--!" She made a movement as if about to rise.

Ted threw out his hand with a little gesture of wanting to explain.
"Maybe I shouldn't have put it that way. I hope I didn't seem rude. I
only meant," he said gently, "that as I watched you you didn't look as
though you were happy."

"And what if I'm not?" she cried, as if stung by that. "What if I'm not?
Does that give you any right to come here and tell me so?"

He shook his head, as if troubled at again putting things badly. "I
really came," he said, in a low earnest voice, "because it seemed to me
it must be that you did not understand. It occurred to me that perhaps
no one had ever tried to make you understand. I came because it seemed
fairer--to everybody."

Something new leaped into her eyes. "I presume it was suggested to you?"
she asked sharply.

"No, Mrs. Williams, it was not suggested to me." As she continued to
look at him with suspicion he colored a little and said quietly: "You
will have to believe that, because I give you my word that it is true."

She met the direct look of his clear hazel eyes and the suspicion died
out of her own. But new feeling quickly flamed up. "And hasn't it
occurred to you," she asked quiveringly, "that you are rather a--well,
to be very mild indeed, rather a presumptuous young man to come to me,
to come into my house, with _this_?" There was a big rush of feeling as
she choked: "Nobody's spoken to me like this in all these years!"

"That's just the trouble," said Ted quickly, as if they were really
getting at it now. "That's just the trouble."

"What do you mean?" she asked sharply.

"Why--just that. Nobody has talked to you about it. Everybody has been
afraid to, and so you've just been let alone with it. Things get worse,
get all twisted up, get themselves into a tight twist that won't come
out when we're shut up with them." His face looked older as he said, "I
know that myself." He meditated upon that an instant; then, quickly
coming back to her, looked up and added gently: "So it seemed to me that
maybe you hadn't had a fair show just because everybody has been afraid
of you and let you alone."

Her