w what was true.

I did not know if I should ever see you again,' she went on in a lower
voice, 'but I felt that if I did I must speak to you about this. I
thought it would not be hard to do so, because you seemed to me an
understanding person; and besides, a woman who has been married isn't
expected to have the same sort of difficulty as a young girl in speaking
about such things when it is necessary. And then we did meet again, and
I discovered that it was very difficult indeed. You made it difficult.'

'How?' he asked quietly.

'I don't know,' said the lady. 'But yes--I do know. It was just because
you treated me exactly as if you had never thought or imagined anything
of that sort about me. I had always supposed that if I saw you again you
would turn on me that hard, horrible sort of look you had when you asked
me that last question--do you remember?--at White Gables. Instead of
that you were just like any other acquaintance. You were just'--she
hesitated and spread out her hands--'nice. You know. After that first
time at the opera when I spoke to you I went home positively wondering
if you had really recognized me. I mean, I thought you might have
recognized my face without remembering who it was.'

A short laugh broke from Trent in spite of himself, but he said nothing.

She smiled deprecatingly. 'Well, I couldn't remember if you had spoken
my name; and I thought it might be so. But the next time, at the
Iretons', you did speak it, so I knew; and a dozen times during those
few days I almost brought myself to tell you, but never quite. I began
to feel that you wouldn't let me, that you would slip away from the
subject if I approached it. Wasn't I right? Tell me, please.' He nodded.
'But why?' He remained silent.

'Well,' she said, 'I will finish what I had to say, and then you
will tell me, I hope, why you had to make it so hard. When I began to
understand that you wouldn't let me talk of the matter to you, it made
me more determined than ever. I suppose you didn't realize that I would
insist on speaking even if you were quite discouraging. I dare say I
couldn't have done it if I had been guilty, as you thought. You walked
into my parlour today, never thinking I should dare. Well, now you see.'

Mrs Manderson had lost all her air of hesitancy. She had, as she was
wont to say, talked herself enthusiastic, and in the ardour of her
purpose to annihilate the misunderstanding that had troubled her so long
she fel