t."

"In coming into a new circle as I have done, you understand, Miss Burr, I
often feel a certain awkwardness on account of not knowing the relations
between the persons I meet," he said, apologizing for his questions.

Laura saw her opportunity, and promptly improved it.

"My brother has been attentive to Miss Brand for a long time. They are
about as good as engaged. Good-evening, Mr. Cordis."

It so happened that several days after this conversation, as Madeline was
walking home one afternoon, she glanced back at a crossing of the street,
and saw Harrison Cordis coming behind her on his way to tea. At the rate
she was walking she would reach home before he overtook her, but, if she
walked a very little slower, he would overtake her. Her pace slackened.
She blushed at her conduct, but she did not hurry.

The most dangerous lovers women have are men of Cordis's feminine
temperament. Such men, by the delicacy and sensitiveness of their own
organizations, read women as easily and accurately as women read each
other. They are alert to detect and interpret those smallest trifles in
tone, expression, and bearing, which betray the real mood far more
unmistakably than more obvious signs. Cordis had seen her backward
glance, and noted her steps grow slower with a complacent smile. It was
this which emboldened him, in spite of the short acquaintance, to venture
on the line he did.

"Good-evening, Miss Brand," he said, as he over took her. "I don't really
think it's fair to begin to hurry when you hear somebody trying to
overtake you.

"I'm sure I didn't mean to," she replied, glad to have a chance to tell
the truth, without suspecting, poor girl, that he knew very well she was
telling it.

"It isn't safe to," he said, laughing. "You can't tell who it may be.
Now, it might have been Mr. Burr, instead of only me."

She understood instantly. Somebody had been telling him about Henry's
attentions to her. A bitter anger, a feeling of which a moment before she
would have deemed herself utterly incapable, surged up in her heart
against the person, whoever it was, who had told him this. For several
seconds she could not control herself to speak. Finally, she said--

"I don't understand you. Why do you speak of Mr. Burr to me?"

"I beg pardon. I should not have done so."

"Please explain what you mean.

"You'll excuse me, I hope," he said, as if quite distressed to have
displeased her. "It was an unpardonable indiscretio