they should be
returned?"

"Oh, merely a whim--nothing of any importance. But Robin feels, as I
am sure you must, that the whole episode--pleasant enough at the time,
no doubt--is over, and he feels that it would be more completely closed
if the letters were destroyed."

"Ah! but there we differ!" said Dahlia sharply. "That's just what I
don't feel about it. I value those letters, Miss Trojan, highly."

Now what, thought Clare, exactly was she? Number One, the intriguing
adventuress? Number Two, the outraged woman? Number Three, the
helpless girl clinging to her one support? Now, of Numbers One and Two
Clare had had no experience. Such persons had never come her way, and
indeed of Number Three she could know very little; so she escaped from
generalities and fixed her mind on the actual girl in front of her.
This was most certainly no intriguing adventuress. Clare had quite
definite ideas about that class of person; but she very possibly was
the outraged female. At any rate, she would act on that conclusion.

"My dear young lady," she said softly, "you must not think that I do
not sympathise. I do indeed, from the bottom of my heart. Robin has
behaved abominably, and any possible reparation we, as a family, will
gladly pay. I think, however, that you are a little hard on him. He
was young, so were you; and it is very easy for us--we women
especially--to mistake the reality of our affection. Robin at any rate
made a mistake and saw it--and frankly told you so. It was
wrong--very; but I cannot help feeling--forgive me if I speak rather
plainly--that it would be equally wrong on your part if you were to
indulge any feeling of revenge."

"There is not," said Dahlia, "any question of revenge."

"Ah," said Clare brightly, "you will let me have the letters, then?"

"I cannot," Dahlia answered gravely. "Really, Miss Trojan, I'm afraid
that we can gain nothing by further discussion. I have looked at the
matter from every point of view, and I'm afraid that I can come to no
other decision."

Clare stared in front of her. What was to be her next move? Like
Garrett, she had been brought to a standstill by Dahlia's direct
refusal. Viewing the matter indefinitely, from the security of her own
room, it had seemed to her that the girl would be certain to give way
at the very mention of the Trojan name. She would face Robin--yes,
that was natural enough, because, after all, he was only a boy and had
no kno