any man's hands?"

"Nothing but sturdy blows. But what do weak, imperfect, half-educated
men and women, who have never had a tithe of your advantages, NEED
at your hands? Can we not condemn faults, and at the same time
pity and help the faulty? The gunboat sends its shot crashing too
much at random. It seems to me that true knighthood would spare
weakness of any kind."

"I'm glad you have not spared mine. You have demolished me as a
gunboat, but I would fain be your knight."

"It is Mrs. Chints who needs a knight at present, and not I. It
troubles me to think of her worriment over this foolish little
episode, and with your permission I will go and try to banish the
cloud."

As she turned she was intercepted by Stanton, who said:

"Miss Burton, let my present to you my cousin, Miss Mayhew."

A ray from a parlor lamp fell upon Ida's face, and Van Berg saw at
once that it was clouded and unamiable in its expression. Stanton
had evidently been reproaching her severely.

Miss Burton held out her hand cordially and said; "I wish to thank
you for maintaining the credit of our sex this morning. These
superior men are so fond of portraying us as hysterical, clinging
creatures whose only instinct in peril is to throw themselves on
man's protection, that I always feel a little exultation when one