m what you expected; or perhaps that you still
had a lingering fancy for the stage--anything you like. I say you could
make yourself believe anything. But I must point out to you that any
acquaintance of yours--an outsider--would probably look on the marked
attentions Mr. Lemuel has been paying you; and on your sudden conversion
to the art-theories of himself and his friends; and on the revival of
your ambitious notions about tragedy--"

"You need say no more," said she, with her face grown quickly red, and
with a certain proud impatience in her look.

"Oh, yes, but I mean to say more," her father said, quietly, "unless you
wish to leave the room. I mean to say this--that when you have persuaded
yourself somehow that you would rather reconsider your promise to Sir
Keith Macleod--am I right?--that it does seem rather hard that you
should grow ill-tempered with him and accuse him of being the author of
your troubles and vexations. I am no great friend of his--I disliked his
coming here at the outset; but I will say he is a manly young fellow,
and I know he would not try to throw the blame of any change in his own
sentiments on to some one else. And another thing I mean to say is--that
your playing the part of the injured Griselda is not quite becoming,
Gerty: at all events, I have no sympathy with it. If you come and tell
me frankly that you have grown tired of Macleod, and wish somehow to
break your promise to him, then I can advise you."

"And what would you advise, then," said she, with equal calmness,
"supposing that you choose to throw all the blame on me."

"I would say that it is a woman's privilege to be allowed to change her
mind; and that the sooner you told him so the better."

"Very simple!" she said, with a flavor of sarcasm in her tone. "Perhaps
you don't know that man as I know him."

"Then you _are_ afraid of him?"

She was silent.

"These are certainly strange relations between two people who talk of
getting married. But, in any case, he cannot suffocate you in a cave,
for you live in London; and in London it is only an occasional young man
about Shoreditch who smashes his sweetheart with a poker when she
proposes to marry somebody else. He might, it is true, summon you for
breach of promise; but he would prefer not to be laughed at. Come, come,
Gerty, get rid of all this nonsense. Tell him frankly the position, and
don't come bothering me with pretended wrongs and injuries."

"Do you think I ou