This had been the first of a long series of antagonism and recoils,
and as the child had matured, the purity and loftiness of her
nature had by this very contact grown chilled toward austerity.
Thus nature lends a gradual protective hardening to a tender
surface during abrasion with a coarser thing. It left Isabel more
reserved with her grandmother than with any one else of all the
persons who entered into her life.

For this reason Mrs. Conyers now foresaw that this interview would
be specially difficult. She had never enjoyed Isabel's confidence
in regard to her love affairs--and the girl had had her share of
these; every attempt to gain it had been met by rebuffs so
courteous but decisive that they had always wounded her pride and
sometimes had lashed her to secret fury.


"Did you wish to see me about anything, grandmother?"

The reply came very quickly: "I wanted to know whether you were
well."

"I am perfectly well. Why did you think of asking?"

"You did not seem well in church."

"I had forgotten. I was not well in church."

Mrs. Conyers bent over and drew a chair in front of her own. She
wished to watch Isabel's face. She had been a close student of