have remained or she ought to have gone. That was another thing her
aunt often said--she was not at all content.

"But people don't die when they like, do they?" Miss Tita inquired. I
took the liberty of asking why, if there was actually enough money to
maintain both of them, there would not be more than enough in case of
her being left alone. She considered this difficult problem a moment
and then she said, "Oh, well, you know, she takes care of me. She thinks
that when I'm alone I shall be a great fool, I shall not know how to
manage."

"I should have supposed that you took care of her. I'm afraid she is
very proud."

"Why, have you discovered that already?" Miss Tita cried with the
glimmer of an illumination in her face.

"I was shut up with her there for a considerable time, and she struck
me, she interested me extremely. It didn't take me long to make my
discovery. She won't have much to say to me while I'm here."

"No, I don't think she will," my companion averred.

"Do you suppose she has some suspicion of me?"

Miss Tita's honest eyes gave me no sign that I had touched a mark. "I
shouldn't think so--letting you in after all so easily."

"Oh, so easily! she has covered her risk. But where is it that one could
take an advantage of her?"

"I oughtn't to tell you if I knew, ought I?" And Miss Tita added, before
I had time to reply to this, smiling dolefully, "Do you think we have
any weak points?"

"That's exactly what I'm asking. You would only have to mention them for
me to respect them religiously."

She looked at me, at this, with that air of timid but candid and even
gratified curiosity with which she had confronted me from the first; and
then she said, "There is nothing to tell. We are terribly quiet. I don't
know how the days pass. We have no life."

"I wish I might think that I should bring you a little."

"Oh, we know what we want," she went on. "It's all right."

There were various things I desired to ask her: how in the world they
did live; whether they had any friends or visitors, any relations in
America or in other countries. But I judged such an inquiry would
be premature; I must leave it to a later chance. "Well, don't YOU be
proud," I contented myself with saying. "Don't hide from me altogether."

"Oh, I must stay with my aunt," she returned, without looking at me.
And at the same moment, abruptly, without any ceremony of parting, she
quitted me and disappeared, leaving me to make