Her response, when it came, was cold but dis
tinct. " He has every disposition to make the best
of you. He only wants in fact to be kind to you."

"Then he must be an ass! And how in the world
can you consider it to improve him for me," her
father pursued, " that he's also destitute and impos
sible? There are asses and asses, even the right
and the wrong and you appear to have carefully
picked out one of the wrong. Your aunt knows
them, by good fortune; I perfectly trust, as I tell
you, her judgment for them; and you may take it
from me once for all that I won't hear of any one
of whom she won t." Which led up to his last word.
"If you should really defy us both!"

"Well, papa?"

"Well, my sweet child, I think that reduced to
insignificance as you may fondly believe me I
should still not be quite without some way of mak
ing you regret it."

She had a pause, a grave one, but not, as appeared,
that she might measure this danger. " If I shouldn't
do it, you know, it wouldn't be because I'm afraid
of you."

"Oh, if you don't do it," he retorted, " you may
be as bold as you like!"

"Then you can do nothing at all for me?"

He showed her, this time unmistakably it was
before her there on the landing, at the top of the
tortuous stairs and in the midst of the strange smell
that seemed to cling to them how vain her ap-

[[26]]

p025 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p026w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p027

v?