She looked him clearly in the eyes.

"None at all."

"Then I am satisfied to take you without hearing your story until
afterwards."

"But I am not satisfied. If I am to see distrust come into your eyes, it
must be now, not afterwards."

"Then tell it quickly."

He put out his hand and took hers firmly into his own, as if to help her
in her story.

[Illustration]

XI

"My father died when I was only a young girl. We had not much money, and
my mother's older brother took us to his home to live. My mother was his
youngest sister, and he loved her more than any one else living. There was
another sister, a half-sister, much older than my mother, and she had one
son. He was a sulky, handsome boy, with a selfish, cruel nature. He seemed
to be happy only when he was tormenting some one. He used to come to
Uncle's to visit when I was there, and he delighted in annoying me. He
stretched barbed wire where he knew I was going to pass in the dark, to
throw me down and tear my clothes. He threw a quantity of burrs in my
hair, and once he led me into a hornet's nest. After we went to live at my
uncle's, Richard was not there so much. He had displeased my uncle, and he
sent him away to school; but at vacation times he came again, and kept the
house in discomfort. He seemed always to have a special spite against me.
Once he broke a rare Dresden vase that Uncle prized, and told him I had
done it.

"Mother did not live long after Father died, and after she was gone, I had
no one to stand between me and Richard. Sometimes I had to tell my uncle,
but oftener I tried to bear it, because I knew Richard was already a great
distress to him.

"At last Richard was expelled from college, and Uncle was so angry with
him that he told him he would do nothing more for him. He must go to work.
Richard's father and mother had not much money, and there were other
children to support. Richard threatened me with all sorts of awful things
if I did not coax Uncle to take him back into his good graces again. I
told him I would not say a word to Uncle. He was very angry and swore at
me. When I tried to leave the room he locked the door and would not let me
go until I screamed for help. Then he almost choked me, but when he heard
Uncle coming he jumped out of the window. The next day he forged a check
in my uncle's name, and tried to throw suspicion on me, but he was
discovered, and my uncle disinherited him. Uncle had intended to educat