"Is that possible? Might I ask you if there is any probability of your
becoming interested in Mr. Morris?"

"Interested! What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know well enough what I mean. We girls do not need to be
humbugs with each other, whatever we may be before the men. When a young
woman meets a young man in the early morning, and has coffee with him,
and when she reads to him, and tries to cultivate his literary tastes,
whatever they may be, she certainly shows some interest in the young
man, don't you think so?"

Miss Earle looked for a moment indignantly at her questioner. "I do not
recognise your right," she said, "to ask me such a question."

"No? Then let me tell you that I have every right to ask it. I assure
you that I have thought over the matter deeply before I spoke. It seemed
to me there was one chance in a thousand--only one chance in a thousand,
remember--that you were acting honestly, and on that one chance I took
the liberty of speaking to you. The right I have to ask such a question
is this--Mr. George Morris has been engaged to me for several years."

"Engaged to _you_?"

"Yes. If you don't believe it, ask him."

"It is the very last question in the world I would ask anybody."

"Well, then, you will have to take my word for it. I hope you are not
very shocked, Miss Earle, to hear what I have had to tell you."