. _She_ wanted to be the one looked at. I knew,
even then! She wouldn't have travelled with us, only father had left her
his money, on condition that she gave Saidee and me the best of
educations, and allowed us a thousand dollars a year each, from the time
our schooling was finished until we married. She had a good deal of
influence over him, for he was ill a long time, and she was his
nurse--that was the way they got acquainted. And she persuaded him to
leave practically everything to her; but she couldn't prevent his making
some conditions. There was one which she hated. She was obliged to live
in the same town with us; so when she wanted to go and enjoy herself in
Paris after father died, she had to take us too. And she didn't care to
shut Saidee up, because if Saidee couldn't be seen, she couldn't be
married; and of course Mrs. Ray wanted her to be married. Then she would
have no bother, and no money to pay. I often heard Saidee say these
things, because she told me everything. She loved me a great deal, and I
adored her. My middle name is Cecilia, and she was generally called Say;
so she used to tell me that our secret names for each other must be 'Say
and Seal.' It made me feel very grown-up to have her confide so much in
me: and never being with children at all, gave me grown-up thoughts."

"Poor child!" said Stephen.

"Oh, I was very happy. It was only after--but that isn't the way to tell
the story. Our stepmother--whom we always called 'Mrs. Ray,' never
'mother'--liked officers, and we got acquainted with a good many French
ones. They used to come to the flat where we lived. Some of them were
introduced by our French governess, whose brother was in the army, but
they brought others, and Saidee and Mrs. Ray went to parties together,
though Mrs. Ray hated being chaperon. If poor Saidee were admired at a
dinner, or a dance, Mrs. Ray would be horrid all next day, and say
everything disagreeable she could think of. Then Saidee would cry when
we were alone, and tell me she was so miserable, she would have to marry
in self-defence. That made me cry too--but she promised to take me with
her if she went away.

"When we had been in Paris about two months, Saidee came to bed one
night after a ball, and waked me up. We slept in the same room. She was
excited and looked like an angel. I knew something had happened. She
told me she'd met a wonderful man, and every one was fascinated with
him. She had heard of him before,