while wondering how on earth she could broach so delicate a subject,
when fortunately Mr. Cossey himself gave her the necessary opening.

"I can't imagine, Miss de la Molle," he said, "what I have done to
offend your father--he almost cut me just now."

"Are you sure that he saw you, Mr. Cossey; he is very absent-minded
sometimes?"

"Oh yes, he saw me, but when I offered to shake hands with him he only
bowed in rather a crushing way and passed on."

Ida broke off a Scarlet Turk from its stem, and nervously began to
pick the bloom to pieces.

"The fact is, Mr. Cossey--the fact is, my father, and indeed I also,
are in great trouble just now, about money matters you know, and my
father is very apt to be prejudiced,--in short, I rather believe that
he thinks you may have something to do with his difficulties--but
perhaps you know all about it."

"I know something, Miss de la Molle," said he gravely, "and I hope and
trust you do not believe that I have anything to do with the action
which Cossey and Son have thought fit to take."

"No, no," she said hastily. "I never thought anything of the sort--but
I know that you have influence--and, well, to be plain, Mr. Cossey, I
implore of you to use it. Perhaps you will understand that this is
very humiliating for me to be obliged to ask this, though you can
never guess /how/ humiliating. Believe me, Mr. Cossey, I would never