just noticed." He checked himself too late: he had again lost not
only his tact and self-control, but had nearly betrayed himself.
He was surprised that the girl's justifiable ignorance should have
irritated him. Yet she had evidently not noticed, or misunderstood
it, for she said, with a certain precision that was almost
studied:--

"Yes, I suppose it would have been a terrible thing to him to have
been suspected of misappropriating a Trust confided to him by
parties who had already paid him the high compliment of confiding
to his care a secret and a fortune."

Paul glanced at her quickly with astonishment. Was this ignorance,
or suspicion? Her manner, however, suddenly changed, with the
charming capriciousness of youth and conscious beauty. "He speaks
of you in this letter," she said, letting her dark eyes rest on him
provokingly.

"That accounts for your lack of interest then," said Paul gayly,
relieved to turn a conversation fraught with so much danger.

"But he speaks very flatteringly," she went on. "He seems to be
another one of your admirers. I'm sure, Mr. Hathaway, after that
scene in the hotel parlor yesterday, YOU, at least, cannot complain
of having been misrepresented before ME. To tell you the truth, I
think I hated you a little for it."

"You were quite right," returned Paul. "I must have been
insufferable! And I admit that I was slightly piqued against YOU
for the idolatries showered upon you at the same moment by your