nificant
to me. Miss Camilla French has asserted publicly that you have
authorised her to make a statement about my niece Dorothy."

Mr. Gibson looked into Camilla's face doubtingly, inquisitively,
almost piteously. "You had better let her go on," said Camilla. "She
will make a great many mistakes, no doubt, but you had better let her
go on to the end."

"I have made no mistake as yet, Miss Camilla. She so asserted, Mr.
Gibson, in the hearing of a friend of mine, and she repeated the
assertion here in this room to me just before you came in. She says
that you have authorised her to declare that--that--that,--I had
better speak it out plainly at once."

"Much better," said Camilla.

"That you never entertained an idea of offering your hand to my
niece." Miss Stanbury paused, and Mr. Gibson's jaw fell visibly. But
he was not expected to speak as yet; and Miss Stanbury continued her
accusation. "Beyond that, I don't want to mention my niece's name, if
it can be avoided."

"But it can't be avoided," said Camilla.

"If you please, I will continue. Mr. Gibson will understand me.
I will not, if I can help it, mention my niece's name again, Mr.
Gibson. But I still have that confidence in you that I do not think
that you would have made such a statement in reference to yourself
and any young lady,--unless it were some young lady who had
absolutely thrown herself at your head." And in saying this she
paused, and looked very hard at Camilla.

"That's just what Dorothy Stanbury has been doing," said Camilla.

"She has been doing nothing of the kind, and you know she hasn't,"
said Miss Stanbury, raising her arm as though she were going to
strike her opponent. "But I am quite sure, Mr. Gibson, that you
never could have authorised these young ladies to make such an
assertion publicly on your behalf. Whatever there may have been of
misunderstanding between you and me, I can't believe that of you."
Then she paused for a reply. "If you will be good enough to set us
right on that point, I shall be obliged to you."

Mr. Gibson's position was one of great discomfort. He had given no
authority to any one to make such a statement. He had said nothing
about Dorothy Stanbury to Camilla; but he had told Arabella, when
hard pressed by that lady, that he did not mean to propose to
Dorothy. He could not satisfy Miss Stanbury because he feared
Arabella. He could not satisfy the Frenches because he feared Miss
Stanbury. "I really do not