ng you everything that is
bad about me; putting every mistake that I have made, every fault that
I have committed, in the worst possible point of view? And you have
listened to her--quite naturally! And you are prejudiced, strongly
prejudiced, against me--what else could you be, under the circumstances?
I don't complain; I have purposely kept out of your way, and out of Miss
Jillgall's way; in short, I have afforded you every facility, as the
prospectuses say. I only want to know if my turn has come at last. Once
more, have I given you time enough, and opportunities enough?"

"A great deal more than enough."

"Do you mean that you have made up your mind about me without stopping
to think?"

"That is exactly what I mean. An act of treachery, Miss Helena, _is_
an act of treachery; no honest person need hesitate to condemn it. I am
sorry you sent for me."

I got up to go. With an ironical gesture of remonstrance, she signed to
me to sit down again.

"Must I remind you, dear sir, of our famous native virtue? Fair play is
surely due to a young person who has nobody to take her part. You talked
of treachery just how. I deny the treachery. Please give me a hearing."

I returned to my chair.

"Or would you prefer waiting," she went out, "till my sister comes here
later in the day, and continues what Miss Jillgall has begun, with the
great advantage of being young and nice-looking?"

When the female mind gets into this state, no wise man answers the
female questions.

"Am I to take silence as meaning Go on?" Miss Helena inquired.

I begged her to interpret my silence in the sense most agreeable to
herself.

This naturally encouraged her. She made a proposal:

"Do you mind changing places, sir?"

"Just as you like, Miss Helena."

We changed chairs; the light now fell full on her face. Had she
deliberately challenged me to look into her secret mind if I could?
Anything like the stark insensibility of that young girl to every
refinement of feeling, to every becoming doubt of herself, to every
customary timidity of her age and sex in the presence of a man who had
not disguised his unfavorable opinion of her, I never met with in all my
experience of the world and of women.

"I wish to be quite mistress of myself," she explained; "your face, for
some reason which I really don't know, irritates me. The fact is, I have
great pride in keeping my temper. Please make allowances. Now about Miss
Jillgall. I suppose she to