oval and dislike, "but Margaret's share in it concerns
me deeply, and first of all I must apologise to you," he added, turning
to Mrs. Murray, "in her name for the liberty she has dared to take with
your most kind and hospitable house. To send a stranger into it in her
place, under her name, and to go off under an assumed one to total
strangers seems to be incredible. I can really hardly grasp the amazing
fact now, that Margaret, whom I have brought up so carefully, and who has
had her every action regulated by me since her infancy, should at the
very first opportunity break loose in this manner." He gazed with renewed
disapproval at Eleanor. "You must have gained an enormous influence over
her in a very short space of time to have been able to persuade her to
act in such an outrageous manner."

"It was her idea; she persuaded me into it," said Eleanor, the words
slipping out of her mouth unawares. Then fearing that they might sound as
though she wished to lay all the blame upon Margaret, she added
impulsively, "But it was I who kept her to it so long. She wanted to give
up the idea weeks ago, and confess everything, after she had only tried
it for two or three days, but I would not let her go back from her word.
And so though she has not been nearly so happy with young people as she
thought somehow she must be, she has bravely stayed on there for my
sake."

Was it merely her imagination or did the severity of Mr. Anstruther's
face relax somewhat as he heard that his granddaughter had not been as
happy as she had hoped to be? His tone, however, when he spoke again
had lost none of its former anger. "Your shameful audacity in
impersonating my granddaughter and thrusting yourself, uninvited, into a
house in which you have no right, deserves to be severely punished. I am
not at all sure that such an offence is not punishable by law. How would
you like to find yourself in prison? Mrs. Murray could prosecute you if
she liked, and if she takes my advice she will."

"And would you advise Mrs. Danvers to prosecute Margaret?" Mrs. Murray
asked.

"Eh--er--that is a different matter altogether," Mr. Anstruther answered,
thoroughly taken aback by the unexpected remark.

"Yes, but she, too, impersonated somebody else and thrust herself into
a house to which she was not invited," said Mrs. Murray, "so we could
hardly put one in prison and leave the other out, could we?"

"Of course, Charlotte, if you are disposed to look upon t