what he had
said, the girl had been able to make these inferences. What was more,
these inferences might be true. Perhaps he _didn't_ think much of her!
Perhaps he only _thought_ he was in love with her! The idea was so
terrible that it stilled her, as approaching seismic storm will still
the elements. She moved about the drawing-room, taking off her gloves,
her veil, her hat, and laying them together on a table, as if she was
afraid to make a sound. She was standing beside that table, not
knowing what to do next, or where to go, when Wildgoose came to the
door to announce, "Mr. Allerton."

"I've seen her." Without other form of greeting, or moving from beside
the table, she picked up her gloves, threw them down again, picked
them up again, threw them down again, with the nervous action of the
hands which betrayed suppressed excitement. "I didn't believe
her--quite."

"But you didn't disbelieve her--wholly?"

"It's a difficult case."

"I've got you into an awful scrape, Barbe."

She threw down the gloves with special vigor. "Oh, don't begin on
that. The scrape's there. What we have to find is the way out."

"Well, do you see it any more clearly?"

"Do you?"

He came near to her. "I see this--that I can't let her throw herself
away for me. I've been thinking it over, and I want to ask your
opinion of this plan. Let's sit down."

She thought his plan the maddest that was ever proposed, and yet she
accepted it. She accepted it because she was suspicious, jealous, and
unhappy. "It'll give me the chance to watch--and _see_," she said to
herself, as he talked.

In his opinion Letty couldn't take their point of view because she was
so inexperienced. It seemed to her a simple thing to go away, leaving
them with the responsibilities of her future on their consciences; and
it would not seem other than a simple thing till she saw life more as
they did. To bring her to this degree of culture they must be subtle
with her, and patient. They mustn't rush things. They mustn't let her
rush them. To end the situation in such a way as to make for happiness
they must end it at a point where all would be best for all concerned.
For Barbara and himself nothing would be best which was not also best
for the girl. What would be best for the girl would be some degree of
education, of knowledge of the world, so that she might go back to the
life whence they had plucked her less likely to be a prey to the
vicious. In that case, if t