room; it was indecent; it was grossly immoral; but he was actually
jesting! Not even scandal, not even the doctor's presence in the house,
could suppress his incorrigible spirit of levity. "If I were Jane, I'd
never speak to him," thought Gabriella, and the question flashed through
her mind, "how in the world could she ever have loved him?" It was
impossible for her to conceive of any situation when Charley could have
made a girl fall in love with him. Though she had heard stories of his
early conquests, she had never believed them. There were times when she
almost liked him, but it was the kind of liking one gave to an inferior,
not to an equal. She admitted his charm, but it was the charm of an
irresponsible creature--the capricious attraction of a child or an
animal. Her common sense, she told herself, would keep her from making
a mistake such as Jane had made with her life; and, besides, she was
utterly devoid of the missionary instinct which had lured Jane to
destruction. "If I ever marry, it will be different from that," she
thought passionately. "It will be utterly different!"

The door of Mrs. Carr's room opened suddenly, Marthy's name was called
in a high voice, and the doctor was heard saying reassuringly: "She is
over the worst. There is no need to worry."

"Don't send me in there alone, Gabriella," begged Charley piteously.
"I'd rather face bullets than Jane in an attack." His bravado had
deserted him, and he appeared positively craven. The stiffness seemed to
have gone not only out of his character, but out of his clothes also.
Even his collar had become limp with emotion.

"Well, I don't care," answered Gabriella, "you've got to stand it.
There's no use squirming when you've only yourself to blame." With a
malicious pleasure, she watched the consternation in Charley's face,