lbow; but that he should take such
pains for a spurious one, and go to the length of sending the sacred
silver thimble as a pledge, rendered the situation puzzling.

Schooled by her religious precepts to taking her duties as those of a
minute at a time Miss Towell made no effort to force the girl's
confidence, and especially since Letty, like most young people in
trouble, was on her guard against giving it. So long as she preferred
to be shut up within herself, shut up within herself she should
remain. Miss Towell felt that, for the moment at least, her own
responsibility was limited to making the child feel that someone cared
for her.

At the same time she couldn't have been a lonely woman with a
love-story behind her without the impulse to dwell a little longingly
on the one romantic incident in her experience. Though it had never
come to anything, the fact that it had once opened its shy little
flower made a sweet bright place to which her thoughts could retire.

The references came spasmodically and without context, as the little
white lady busied herself in waiting on Letty or in the care of her
room.

"I haven't seen him since a short time after the mistress went away."

Letty felt herself coloring. Though not prudish there were words she
couldn't get used to. Besides which she had never thought that
Steptoe.... But Miss Towell pursued her memories.

"It always worried him that I should hold views different from his but
I couldn't submit to dictation, now, could I, dear?"

Once more Letty felt herself awkwardly placed. The only interpretation
she could put on Miss Towell's words referring to moral reformation on
her hostess's part she said, as non-committally as might be: "He's a
good deal of a stickler."

"He's been so long in a high position that he becomes--well, I won't
be 'arsh--but he becomes a little harbitrary. That's where it was. He
was a little harbitrary. With a mistress who allowed him a great deal
of his own way--well, you can hardly blame him, can you, dear?"

Letty forced herself to accept the linguistic standard of the world.
"I suppose if she hadn't allowed him a great deal of his own way he'd
have looked somewhere else."

"That he could easily have done. He had temptations enough--a man like
him. Why, dear, there was a lady in Park Avenue did everything she
could that wasn't positively dishonorable to win him away----"

"He must have been younger and better looking than he is now,"