id never a word. It was not--it would not have been
prudent to speak. To treat the matter as a jest would have offended the
Iron King; to have taken it seriously would most justly and unpardonably
have offended Corona Rothsay. Truly, Rose found that "Jordan am a hard
road to trabbel!" And here at least was an apt application of the old
proverb:

"Speech is silver, silence is golden." So Rose said never a word, but
looked from one to the other, smiling divinely on each in turn.

Old Aaron Rockharrt having discharged his shot, went down stairs,
entered his carriage and drove to Wall Street.

Corona went to her room, or to the room she jointly occupied with Mrs.
Stillwater, wishing from the depths of her heart that she could get
entirely away from the sight and hearing of the woman who grew more
repugnant to her feelings every day. At one time Cora thought that she
would call a carriage, drive to the Hudson River railway station, and
take the train for West Point, there to remain during the exercises of
the academy. She was very strongly tempted to do this; but she resisted
the impulse. She would not bring matters to a crisis by making a scene.
So the idea of escaping to West Point was abandoned. Next she thought of
taking a carriage and driving out to Harlem alone; but then she
remembered that the woman Stillwater was, after all, her guest, so long
as she herself was mistress, if only in name, of her grandfather's
house; she could not leave her alone for the whole day; and so the idea
of evading the creature's company by driving out alone was also given
up.

Truly, Cora was bound to the rack with cords of conventionality as fine
as cobwebs, yet as strong as ropes.

She did nothing but sit still in her chamber and brood; dreading the
entrance of her abhorrent room-mate every moment.

But Rose Stillwater--who read Cora Rothsay's thoughts as easily as she
could read a familiar book--acted with her usual discretion. As long as
Cora chose to remain in their joint chamber, Rose forbore to exercise
her own right of entering it.

Not until the afternoon did Corona come out into the parlor. Then she
found Rose seated at the window, watching the busy scene on the Broadway
pavement below, the hurried promenaders jostling as they passed each
other on going up and coming down; the street peddlers, the walking
advertisements, and all other sights never noticed by a citizen of the
town, but looked at with curiosity by a stranger