down with her."

Murray Bradshaw was calculating enough, but he shook his head over this
letter. It was too demonish cold-blooded for him, he said to himself.
(Men cannot pardon women for saying aloud what they do not hesitate to
think in silence themselves.) Never mind,--he must have Mrs. Clymer
Ketchum's house and influence for his own purposes. Myrtle Hazard must
become her guest, and then, if circumstances were favorable, he was
certain of obtaining her aid in his project.

The opportunity to invite Myrtle to the great mansion presented itself
unexpectedly. Early in the spring of 1861 there were some cases of
sickness in Madam Delacoste's establishment, which led to closing the
school for a while. Mrs. Clymer Ketchum took advantage of the dispersion
of the scholars to ask Myrtle to come and spend some weeks with her.
There were reasons why this was more agreeable to the young girl than
returning to Oxbow Village, and she very gladly accepted the invitation.

It was very remarkable that a man living as Master Byles Gridley had
lived for so long a time should all at once display such liberality as
he showed to a young woman who had no claim upon him, except that he had
rescued her from the consequences of her own imprudence and warned her
against impending dangers. Perhaps he cared more for her than if the
obligation had been the other way,--students of human nature say it is
commonly so. At any rate, either he had ampler resources than it was
commonly supposed, or he was imprudently giving way to his generous
impulses, or he thought he was making advances which would in due time
be returned to him. Whatever the reason was, he furnished her with
means, not only for her necessary expenses, but sufficient to afford her
many of the elegances which she would be like to want in the fashionable
society with which she was for a short time to mingle.

Mrs. Clymer Ketchum was so well pleased with the young lady she was
entertaining, that she thought it worth while to give a party while
Myrtle was staying with her. She had her jealousies and rivalries, as
women of the world will, sometimes, and these may have had their share
in leading her to take the trouble a large party involved. She was tired
of the airs of Mrs. Pinnikle, who was of the great Apex family, and her
terribly accomplished daughter Rhadamantha, and wanted to crush the
young lady, and jaundice her mother, with a girl twice as brilliant and
ten times handsomer