For what we have received," though all the time he was thinking
of the "counter-check quarrelsome" he had received from his next-door
neighbor. When he raised his head again he found her awaiting his
answer, her clear, steady eyes quietly fixed on his face with a look
which was at once sad, indignant, and questioning.

His question had been an insulting one. He had meant it to prick and
sting, but it is one thing to be indirectly rude, and another to give
the "lie direct." Her quiet return question, her dignity, made it
impossible for him to insult her openly. He was at her mercy. He colored
a little, stammered something incoherent about "thinking it possible."

"You are perfectly right," replied Erica, still speaking in her quietly
dignified voice. "I have known Herr Haeberlein since I was a baby, so
you will understand that it is quite impossible for me to speak with you
about him after hearing the opinions you expressed just now."

For once in his life Mr. Cuthbert felt ashamed of himself. He did not
feel comfortable all through dessert, and gave a sigh of relief when the
ladies left the room.

As for Erica's other neighbor, he could not help reflecting that Luke
Raeburn's daughter had had the best of it in the encounter. And he
wondered a little that a man, whom he had known to do many a kindly
action, should so completely have forgotten the rules of ordinary
courtesy.

CHAPTER XXVI. A Friend

Then, my friend, we must not regard what the many say of us;
but what he, the one man who has understanding of just and
unjust, will say, and what the truth will say. And
therefore you begin in error when you suggest that we should
regard the opinion of the many about just and unjust, good
and evil, honorable and dishonorable.--Plato.

In the drawing room Erica found the ostracism even more complete and
more embarrassing. Lady Caroline who was evidently much annoyed, took
not the slightest notice of her, but was careful to monopolize the one
friendly looking person in the room, a young married lady in pale-blue
silk. The other ladies separated into groups of two and threes, and
ignored her existence. Lady Caroline's little girl, a child of twelve,
was well bred enough to come toward her with some shy remark, but her
mother called her to the other side of the room quite sharply, and
made some excuse to keep her there, as if contact with Luke Raeburn's
daughter would have polluted her.