izabeth shook her head. She asserted with evident sincerity
that she didn't wish to see any gentlemen; she didn't care to see any
gentlemen under any circumstances; she never meant to have anything to
do with gentlemen again. She said something about becoming a deaconess
in the Episcopal Church; she spoke of the attractions in the life of a
trained nurse; mentioned settlement work; and asked me what I thought of
Elizabeth Frye, Dorothea Dix, and Clara Barton.

"This is one advantage that Catholics have over us," she observed,
dreamily: "one could go into a nunnery; then one would be quite sure
there would be no men to let loose the consequences of their natures and
conduct upon a woman's whole existence."

"These two downstairs have waited a good while," I returned, carelessly.
"One of them is a married man and is used to it. But the other is not."

"Very well," said Aunt Elizabeth, with what (it occurred to me) was a
smile of forced dejection. "To please you, Maria, I will go down."

If Aunt Elizabeth's dejection were assumed, mine was not. I have been
in the lowest possible spirits since my unlucky discovery. Anything
and everything had occurred to me except that she and that boy could
quarrel. I had fancied him shadowing Mrs. Chataway for the slightest
sign of his charmer. I don't know that I should have been surprised to
see him curled up, like a dog, asleep on the door-steps. At the present
moment I have no more means of finding the wetched lad than I had
in Eastridge; not so much, for doubtless Peggy has his prehistoric
addresses. I am very unhappy. I have not had the heart left in me
to admire Dr. Denbigh, who has filled his role brilliantly all the
afternoon. In half an hour he and Aunt Elizabeth had philandered as deep
as a six months' flirtation; and I must say that they have kept at it
with an art amounting almost to sincerity. Aunt Elizabeth did not once
mention settlement work, and put no inquiries to Dr. Denbigh about
Elizabeth Frye, Dorothea Dix, or Clara Barton.

I think he took her to the Metropolitan Museum; I know he invited her
to the theatre; and there is some sort of an appointment for to-morrow
morning, I forget what. But my marked success at this end of the stage
only adds poignancy to my sense of defeat at the other.

I am very homesick. I wish I could see Tom. I do hope Tom found my
message about Dr. Denbigh.

Twenty-four hours later.--The breeze of yesterday has spun into a
whirlwin