He had drawn her attention to the beauty of the broad stretch of
stream as it bent away towards Chiswick out of sight. He felt that
he had made an impression of mentality upon the little typewriting
girl. And, after that, he had suggested to Mrs. Hewson that it might
seem churlish on his part not to have his meals with the rest.

Janet Hallard he did not like. When he talked about art her eyes hung
upon him and, waiting until he had finished, she then talked about
the Stock Exchange.

"Oh! I hate talking shop," he said one day.

"But you do it so well," she replied quietly. "It seems so much more
interesting than art when you talk about it. After all, art is only
some one person's idea about something they generally don't
understand."

There is no wonder that the man hated her. But for Sally, he formed
a deep attachment that was only kept in check and controlled by the
remembrance of the superiority of his position. Class bias is
universal, and is based almost entirely upon possession. The
school-boy who has more pocket-money, the lodger who has the only
bed-sitting-room in the house, and the man who has the largest
rent-roll, are always socially above those in their immediate
surroundings. Possession being nine points of the law is also nine
points of class superiority. That Mr. Arthur should have stepped down
from his high estate and condescended to have his meals with them,
was proof enough that the man was in earnest. But his interest in
her was not reciprocated.

"I couldn't marry Mr. Arthur," she said; "not even if he was the
manager of his old bank."

"But why not?"

"Because I could never love him; not even respect him."

"That's what fetters women."

"What?"

"That idea that they've got to marry the man they love. They've grown
to think--unconsciously almost--that to give him love, blinded, is
a fair exchange for his provision of a home. They'll never win their
independence that way."

"I don't want my independence," said Sally.

"Then why do you work for it?" asked Janet.

"Because I didn't want to be a clog on my own people--because I wanted
to be free to answer to myself."

"Then why don't you carry that idea further? Why make yourself free,
simply to tie yourself up again at the first chance you get?"

"I don't call it tying myself up to marry a man I'm in love with and
who loves me. That's happiness. I know I shall be perfectly happy."

Janet lifted her head and in a thoroughly profe