er has been making inquiries,
and she finds that Miss Colwyn has advertised and done everything she
could think of--with very little result. I myself met her three or four
days ago, coming away from Miss Morrison's, with tears in her eyes. She
had failed to get the post of music-teacher there."

"But why had she failed? She can sing and play beautifully!"

"Ah, I wanted you to ask me that! She failed--because Miss Morrison was
a friend of Miss Polehampton's, and she had heard some garbled and
distorted account of Miss Colwyn's dismissal from that school."

Sir Philip did not look at her as he spoke: he fancied that she would be
at once struck with horror and even with shame, and he preferred to
avert his eyes during the moment's silence that followed upon his
account of Janetta's failure to get work. But, when Margaret spoke, a
very slight tone of vexation was the only discoverable trace of any such
emotion.

"Why did not Janetta explain?"

Sir Philip's lips moved, but he said nothing.

"That affair cannot be the reason why she has obtained so little work,
of course?"

"I am afraid that to some extent it is."

"Janetta could so easily have explained it!"

"May I ask how she could explain it? Write a letter to the local paper,
or pay a series of calls to declare that she had not been to blame? Do
you think that any one would have believed her? Besides--you call her
your friend: could she exculpate herself without blaming you; and do you
think that she would do that?"

"Without blaming _me_?" repeated Margaret. She rose to her full height,
letting the fan fall between her hands, and stood silently confronting
him. "But," she said, slowly--"I--I was not to blame."

Sir Philip bowed.

"You think that I was to blame?"

"I think that you acted on impulse, without much consideration for Miss
Colwyn's future. I think that you have done her an injury--which I am
sure you will be only too willing to repair."

He began rather sternly, he ended almost tenderly--moved as he could not
fail to be by the soft reproach of Margaret's eyes.

"I cannot see that I have done her any injury at all; and I really do
not know how I can repair it," said the girl, with a cold stateliness
which ought to have warned Sir Philip that he was in danger of
offending. But Philip was rash and warm-hearted, and he had taken up
Janetta's cause.

"Your best way of repairing it," he said, earnestly, "would be to call
on Miss Morrison yours