n a breach of good manners, had
been extremely careless, almost reprehensible. Norma felt herself
unreasonably antagonized.

"Oh, I don't know! It's true," she said, recklessly.

"Annie is a very important person in your plans, Norma," Chris reminded
her. "It would be most regrettable for you to lose your head now, to
give everyone an opportunity of criticizing you. I should advise you to
enlist your Aunt Annie's sympathies just as soon as you can. She is, of
all the world, the one woman who can direct you--help you equip
yourself--tell you what to get, and how to establish yourself. If Annie
chose to be unfriendly, to ignore you----"

"I don't see Annie von Behrens ignoring me--now!" Norma said, with
anger, and throwing her head back proudly. They were in a curtained
alcove on the landing of the angled stairway, completely hidden by the
great curtain and by potted palms. "When my revered aunt realizes----"

"Your money will have absolutely no effect on Annie," Chris said,
quickly.

"No, but what I _am_ will!" Norma answered, breathing hard.

"Not while we keep it to ourselves, as of course we must," Chris
answered, in displeasure. "No one but ourselves will ever know----"

"The whole world will know!" Norma said, in sudden impatience with
smoothing and hiding and pretending. Chris straightened his eyeglasses
on their ribbon, and gave her his scrutinizing, unruffled glance.

"That would be foolish, I think, Norma!" he told her, calmly. "It would
be a most unnecessary piece of vulgarity. Old families are constantly
hushing up unfortunate chapters in their history; there is no reason why
the whole thing should not be kept an absolute secret. My dear girl, you
have just had a most extraordinary piece of good fortune--but you must
be very careful how you take it! You will be--you are--a tremendously
wealthy woman--and you will be in the public eye. Upon how you conduct
yourself now your future position largely depends. Annie can--and I
believe will--gladly assist you. Acton and Leslie will go abroad, I
suppose--they can't live here. But a breath of scandal--or an
ill-advised slip on your part--would make us all ridiculous. You must
play your cards carefully. If you could stay with Annie, now----"

"I _hate_ Aunt Annie!" Norma interrupted, childishly.

"My dear girl--you're over-tired, you don't mean what you say!" Chris
said, putting his hand on her arm. Under the light touch she dropped her
eyes, and stood still