had spoken in its praise now rose to condemn its
betrayal. And Claudia, who had been brought up in entire removal from
the spirit which made Ayre and Eugene treat Stafford's vow as one of the
picturesque indiscretions of devotion, was unable to look upon the
breaking of it in any other light than that of a falsehood and an act of
treachery. Religion was to her a series of definite commands, and
although her temperament was not such as enabled or led her to penetrate
beneath the commands to the reason of them, or emboldened her to rely on
the latter rather than the former, she had never wavered in the view
that at least these commands may and should be observed, and that, above
all, by a man whose profession it was to inculcate them. This much of
genuine disapproval of Stafford's conduct she undoubtedly felt; and
there it would be pleasant to leave the matter. But in the commanding
interest of truth it must be added that this genuine disapproval was,
unconsciously perhaps to herself, strengthened by more mundane feelings,
which would, if analyzed, have been resolved into a sense of resentment
against Stafford. He had come to her, as it were, under false pretenses.
Relying on his peculiar position, she had allowed herself, without
scruple, a freedom and expansion in her relations toward him that she
would have condemned, though perhaps not abstained from, had he stood
exactly where other men stood; and she felt that, if charged with
encouraging him and fostering a delusion in his mind, her defense,
though in reality a good one, was not one which the world would accept
as justifying her. She could not openly plead that she had flirted with
him, because she had never thought he would flirt with her; or allowed
him to believe she entertained a deeper regard for him than she did
because he could be supposed to feel none for her. Yet that was the
truth; and perhaps it was a good defense. And Claudia was resentful
because she could not defend herself by using it, and her resentment
settled upon the ultimate cause of her perplexities.

When Eugene got back to Territon Park he was received by the brothers
with unaffected interest. They were passing the morning in an exhaustive
medical inspection of the dogs, but they left even this engrossing
occupation, and sauntered out to meet him.

"Well, what luck?" asked Rickmansworth.

"The debate is adjourned," answered Eugene.

"Did Clau make herself agreeable?"

"Well, no; in fact