d lured him on----"

"You _didn't_ lure him on, and I won't let you say such a thing,
Cornelia Saunders," Charmian protested. "You always did profess to have
sense, and that isn't sense."

"I never had any sense," said Cornelia, "I can see that now. I have
been a perfect fool from the beginning."

"You may have been a fool," said Charmian, judicially, "but you have
not been false, and I am not going to let you say so. If you don't
promise not to, I will tell Mr. Ludlow myself that you were always
perfectly true, and you couldn't help being true, any more than a--a
broomstick, or anything else that is perpendicular. Now, will you
promise?"

"I will tell him just how everything was, and he can judge. But what
difference? It's all over, and I wouldn't help it if I could."

"Yes, I know that," said Charmian, "but that's all the more reason why
you shouldn't go and say more than there is. He can't think, even if
you're just to yourself, that you want to--wheedle."

"Wheedle!" cried Cornelia.

"Well, not wheedle, exactly, but what would _be_ wheedling in some
other girl--in me," said Charmian, offering herself up. "Will you let
me see the letter before you send it? I do believe I've got more sense
than you have about such things, this minute."

"You wouldn't have any to brag of, even then," said Cornelia with
gloomy meekness, and unconscious sarcasm. "Yes, I will let you see the
letter."

"Well, then, you needn't go home to write it; you can write in your
room here. I want to see that letter, and I sha'n't let it go if
there's the least thing wrong in it." She jumped up gayly, as if this
were the happiest possible solution of the whole difficulty, and began
to push Cornelia out of the room. "Now go, and after you've put
yourself in shape, and got your hair done, you'll have some
self-respect. I suppose you won't begin to write till you're all as
spick and span as if you were going to receive a call from him. I'm
such a slouch that I should just sit down and write, looking every
which-way--but I know you can't."

She came back to the studio an hour later, and waited impatiently for
Cornelia's appearance. She was so long coming that Charmian opened the
door, to go and ask her some question, so as to get her to say that she
would be with her in a moment, even if she didn't come, and almost ran
against the man-servant, who was bringing her a card. She gave a little
nervous shriek, and caught it from his salver.

"F