"The 'decent people' are those who leave me alone," said Carrie,
shortly, "as they do here."

"As who do here? Who are the people who live in that shut-up house,
besides you and your Granny, as you call her?"

"I--mustn't tell you. They don't belong to any county families. Is that
enough?"

"Why are you so different now from what you were when we were sitting by
the fire in there? You are not like the same girl! Are you the same
girl?"

And Max affected to feel, or, perhaps, really felt, a doubt which
necessitated his coming a little closer to Carrie, without, however,
being able to see much more of her face than before.

"I'm the same girl," replied Carrie, shortly, "whom you threatened with
the police."

"Come, is that fair? Did I threaten _you_ with the police?"

"You threatened _us_. It's the same thing. Well, it doesn't matter.
They won't find out anything more than we choose!"

She said this defiantly, ostentatiously throwing in her lot with the
dubious characters from whom Max would fain have dissociated her.

"Do you forget," he asked, suddenly, "that these precious friends of