rmur from Clare. "I assure you, Miss Feverel."

"Oh yes, Miss Trojan, you don't suppose that I cared for you very much
during those weeks. I suffered a little, too, and it changed me from a
girl into a woman--rather too quickly to be altogether healthy,
perhaps. And then he came and told me in so many words. I thought at
first that it had broken my heart; a girl does, you know, when it
happens the first time, but you needn't be afraid--my heart's all
right--and I wouldn't marry Robin now if he begged me to. But it had
hurt, all of it, and perhaps one's pride had suffered most of all--and
so, of course, I kept the letters. It was the one way that I could
hurt you. I'm frank, am I not?--but every woman would do the same.
You see you are so very proud, you Trojans!

"It is not only that you thank God that you are not as other men, but
you are so bent on making the rest of us call out 'Miserable sinner!'
very loudly and humbly. And we don't believe it. Why should we?
Everybody has their own little bits o' things that they treasure, and
they don't like being told that they're of no value at all. Why, Miss
Trojan, I'm quite a proud person really--you'd be surprised if you
knew."

She laughed, and then sat down on the sofa opposite Clare, with her
chin resting on her hand.

"So you see, Miss Trojan, it's natural, after all, that I kept the
letters."

Clare had listened to the last part of her speech in silence, her lips
firmly closed, her hands folded on her lap. As she listened to her she
knew that it was quite hopeless, that nothing that she could ever say
would change the young person's mind. She was horribly disappointed,
of course, and it would be terrible to be forced to return to Robin,
and tell him that she had failed: for the first time she would have to
confess failure--but really she could not humble herself any longer:
she was not sure that, even now, she had not unbent a little more than
was necessary. If the young person refused to consider the question of
terms there was no more to be said--and how dare she talk about the
Trojans in that way?

"Really, Miss Feverel, I scarcely think that it is necessary for us to
enter into a discussion of that kind, is it? I daresay you have every
reason for personal pride--but really that is scarcely my affair, is
it? If no offer of money can tempt you--well, really, there the matter
must rest, mustn't it? Of course I am sorry, but you know your own
min