Mrs. Blunt, knowing her sex, held out a bottle of salts.

"I'm not mad," said Agatha.

"You're nearly hysterical."

Agatha took a long sniff.

"I think I can tell you now," she said more calmly. "But was ever a
girl in such an awful position before?"

It is needless to repeat what Mrs. Blunt said. Her censures will have
been long ago anticipated by every right-thinking person, and if she
softened them down a little more than strict justice allowed, it must
have been because Agatha was an old favorite of hers, and Lord
Thrapston an old antipathy. Upon her word, she always wondered that the
poor child, brought up by that horrid old man, was not twice as bad as
she was.

"But what am I to do about them?" cried Agatha.

'Them' evidently meant Calder and Charlie.

"Do! Why, there's nothing to do. You must just apologize to Mr.
Merceron, and tell him that an end had better be put--"

"Oh, I know--Mr. Taylor said that; but, Mrs. Blunt, I don't want an end
to be put to our acquaintance. I like him very very much. Oh, and he
thinks me horrid! Oh!"

"Take another sniff," advised Mrs. Blunt, "Of course, if Mr. Merceron
is willing to let bygones be bygones, and just be an acquaintance----"

"Oh, but I know he won't. If you knew Charlie

"Knew who, Agatha?"

"Mr. Merceron," said Agatha, in a very humble voice. "If you knew him
at all, you'd know he wouldn't do that."

"Then you must send him about his business. Oh, yes, I know. You've
treated him atrociously, but Calder Wentworth must be considered first;
that is, if you care two straws for the poor fellow, which I begin to
doubt."

"Oh, I do, Mrs. Blunt!"

"Agatha, you shameless girl, which of these men---?"

"Don't talk as if there were a dozen of them, dear Mrs. Blunt. There
are only two."

"One too many."

"Yes, I know. You--you see I'm--I'm accustomed to Calder."

"Oh, are you?"

"Yes. Don't be unkind, Mrs. Blunt. And then Charlie was something so
new--such a charming change--that----"

"Upon my word, you might be your grandfather. Talk about heredity, and
Ibsen, and all that!"

"Can't you help me, dear Mrs. Blunt?"

"I can't give you two husbands, if that's what you want. There, child,
don't cry. Never mind me. Have another sniff."

"I shall go home," said Agatha. "Perhaps grandpapa may be able to
advise me."

"Your grandfather! Gracious goodness, girl, you're never going to tell
him?"

"Yes, I shall. Grandpapa's had a lot of experience: h