y entertained
some doubt as to Mrs. Hardy's purpose in opening her home to him as she
had done; absurd as the hypothesis seemed, still there was the
hypothesis that Mrs. Hardy saw in Conward a possible comfort to her
declining days. He had no doubt that her vanity was equal to that
supposition, but he had done her less than justice in supposing that
she had had any directly personal ambitions. Her ambitions were for
Irene. From her point of view it seemed to Mrs. Hardy that almost
anything would be better than that Irene should marry a man who had
sprung from the low estate which Elden not only confessed, but boasted.
She had hoped that by bringing Conward into the house, by bringing
Irene under the influence of a close family acquaintanceship with him,
that that young lady might be led to see the folly of the road she was
choosing. But now her clever purpose had come to nought, and in her
vexation she did not hesitate to humble herself before Conward by
confessing, in words that he could not misunderstand, that she had
hoped that he would be the successful suitor for Irene. And Conward's
heart leapt at the confession. He was sufficiently schooled in the
affairs of life to appreciate the advantage of open alliance with Mrs.
Hardy in the short, sharp battle that lay before him.

"And I suppose I need not conceal from you," he answered, "what my
hopes have been. Those hopes have grown as my acquaintance with you
has grown. It is reasonably safe to judge a daughter by her mother,
and by that standard Irene is one of the most adorable of young women."

"I _have_ been called attractive in my day," confessed Mrs. Hardy,
warming at once to his flattery.

"Have been?" said Conward. "Say rather you are. If I had not been
rendered, perhaps, a little partial by my admiration of Irene, I--well,
one can scarcely give his heart in two places, you know. And my deep
regard for you, Mrs. Hardy--my desire that you shall be spared
this--ah--threatened humiliation, will justify me in using heroic
measures to bring this unfortunate affair to a close. You may trust
me, Mrs. Hardy."

"I was sure of that," she returned, already much comforted. "I was
sure of your sympathy, and that you would find a way."

"I shall need your co-operation," he warned her. "Irene is--you will
forgive me, Mrs. Hardy, but Irene is, if I may say it, somewhat
headstrong. She is--"

"She is her father over again," Mrs. Hardy interrupted. "I told