might serve for any contingency as a witness that
I have put it to you that I'm ready to come."

"Would you like me," her father asked, " to call
the landlady?"

"You may not believe me," she pursued, " but I
came really hoping you might have found some way.
I'm very sorry, at all events, to leave you unwell."
He turned away from her, on this, and, as he had
done before, took refuge, by the window, in a stare
at the street. " Let me put it unfortunately with
out a witness," she added after a moment, " that
there's only one word you really need speak."

When he took this up it was still with his back
to her. " If I don't strike you as having already
spoken it, our time has been singularly wasted."

"I ll engage with you in respect to my aunt ex
actly to what she wants of me in respect to you.
She wants me to choose. Very wellj I will choose.
I ll wash my hands of her for you to just that tune."

He at last brought himself round. " Do you
know, dear, you make me sick? I ve tried to be
clear, and it isn't fair."

But she passed this over; she was too visibly sin
cere. "Father!"

"I don't quite see what's the matter with you,"
he said, " and if you can't pull yourself together I ll
upon my honour take you in hand. Put you into
a cab and deliver you again safe at Lancaster Gate."

She was really absent, distant. " Father."

It was too much, and he met it sharply. " Well?"

[[23]]

p022 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p023w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p024

v?