make
nothing of it. I could not even decide whether it was friendly or
inimical. Did she want this post for some one else? If so, surely her
influence with her father would be strong enough to secure it. She had
spoken to me kindly enough. The faint air of reserve that she seemed to
carry with her everywhere, which, coupled with a certain quietness of
deportment, appeared to most of the people around to indicate pride, had
for these few minutes, at any rate, been lifted. She had come down from
the clouds, and spoken to me as any other woman to any other man. And
now she had wound up by throwing me into a state of hopeless
bewilderment.

"Lady Angela," I said, "I think that you owe me some explanation. If
you can assure me that it is in any way against your wishes, if you will
give me the shadow of a reason why I should refuse what has not yet been
offered to me--well, I will do it. I will do it even if I must starve."

A little forced smile parted her lips. She looked at me kindly.

"I have said a great deal more than I meant to, Mr. Ducaine. I think
that it would have been better if I had left most of it unsaid. You
must go your own way. I only wanted to guard you against
disappointment."

"Disappointment! You think, after all, then--"

"No, that is not what I meant," she interrupted. "I am sure that you
will be offered the post, and I am sure that you will not hesitate to
accept it. But nevertheless I think that it will bring with it great
disappointments. I will tell you this. Already three young men whom
I knew very well have held this post, and each in turn has been
dismissed. They have lost the confidence of their employers, and though
each, I believe, was ambitious and meant to make a career, they have now
a black mark against their name."

"You are very mysterious, Lady Angela," I said, doubtfully.

"It is of necessity," she answered. "Perhaps I take rather a morbid
view of things, but one of them was the brother of a great friend of
mine, and they fear that he has lost his reason. There are peculiar and
painful difficulties in connection with this post, Mr. Ducaine, and I
think it only fair to give you this warning."

"You are very kind," I said. "I only wish that the whole thing was
clearer to me."

She smiled a little sadly.

"At least," she said, "let me give you one word of advice. You will be
brought into contact with many people whose integrity will seem to you a
positive and certain thing.