delle protested lamely, feeling that in
her invective Pussy was reflecting upon her guardians.

"Of course!... I have no doubt he made up his mind to get you, as soon
as he knew how rich you would be."

This was too raw even for Adelle. The girl drew herself up haughtily,
and Miss Comstock adroitly covered up her mistake.

"You know, my dear, that is one of the dangers any woman with money is
exposed to. Luckily this is your first experience with the mere
fortune-hunter, but you will find that there are many men in the world
just like this Mr. Ashly Crane, who are incapable of a genuine passion
for any woman, and are always looking for a rich wife. No girl wants to
think that a man is making love to her because she has money--especially
when she has other attractions.... To think that this man, who ought to
have shielded you from everything, should be the one to humiliate you
so!"

She proceeded with an admirable mingling of flattery and friendliness to
put Adelle on her guard against the male sex.

"At least," she concluded, "a man ought to have something to offer a
rich girl,--a name or position. What has that little cad to give you?
Social position? A title? Nothing! If a woman must marry, she should get
something in the bargain."

She succeeded in thoroughly humiliating Adelle for what she had secretly
been a little proud of, her first "affair," and easily killed with her
contempt any possibility of the girl's yielding to the banker's
persistency.

"He said he was coming to see me to-morrow," Adelle finally pouted
almost tearfully.

"He will see _me_ to-morrow instead," Miss Comstock said promptly; "and
I don't think he will trouble you again."

The encounter on the following morning between the trust officer and
Pussy Comstock is not a part of this story. Enough to say that Mr. Crane
got his steamer at Southampton and was happily so seasick all the way
across that he could not worry over his failure in the gentle art of
love-making. He told his friends that he had spent a dull vacation in
England, and spoke disparagingly of British institutions and of Europe
for Americans generally. When President West inquired about the ward, he
spoke very guardedly of Adelle and of Miss Catherine Comstock. He
intimated that Miss Clark had developed into an uninteresting and
somewhat headstrong young woman, and implied that he had doubts about
the influence which her present mentor had upon her character. However,
the