ed Madeleine, with a cold smile.

"Why not?" replied Carrington, in a similar tone. "He can put forward
a strong claim to your sympathy and help, if not to your love. He can
offer you a great field of usefulness which you want. He has been very
faithful to you. Are you quite sure that even now you can refuse him
without his complaining that you have trifled with him?"

"And are you quite sure," added Mrs. Lee, evasively, "that you have not
been judging him much too harshly? I think I know him better than you.
He has many good qualities, and some high ones. What harm can he do me?
Supposing even that he did succeed in persuading me that my life could
be best used in helping his, why should I be afraid of it?"

"You and I," said Carrington, "are wide apart in our estimates of Mr.
Ratcliffe. To you, of course, he shows his best side. He is on his good
behaviour, and knows that any false step will ruin him. I see in him
only a coarse, selfish, unprincipled politician, who would either drag
you down to his own level, or, what is more likely, would very soon
disgust you and make your life a wretched self-immolation before his
vulgar ambition, or compel you to leave him. In either case you would
be the victim. You cannot afford to make another false start in life.
Reject me! I have not a word to say against it. But be on your guard
against giving your existence up to him."

"Why do you think so ill of Mr. Ratcliffe?" asked Madeleine; "he always
speaks highly of you. Do you know anything against him that the world
does not?"

"His public acts are enough to satisfy me," replied Carrington, evading
a part of the question. "You know that I have never had but one opinion
about him."

There was a pause in the conversation. Both parties felt that as yet no
good had come of it. At length Madeleine asked, "What would you have me
do? Is it a pledge you want that I will under no circumstances marry Mr.
Ratcliffe?"

"Certainly not," was the answer; "you know me better than to think
I would ask that. I only want you to take time and keep out of his
influence until your mind is fairly made up. A year hence I feel certain
that you will think of him as I do."

"Then you will allow me to marry him if I find that you are mistaken,"
said Mrs. Lee, with a marked tone of sarcasm.

Carrington looked annoyed, but he answered quietly, "What I fear is
his influence here and now. What I would like to see you do is this: go
north a month earl