ge man was a superior being, and that every small
crumb of praise from him was well worth meriting.

"Why, Frida, of course I do," he answered, without the least sense of
impertinence. "Do you think if I didn't I'd have taken so much trouble
to try and educate you?" For he had talked to her much in their walks on
the hillside.

Frida did not correct him for his bold application of her Christian
name, though she knew she ought to. She only looked up at him and
answered gravely--

"I certainly can't let you take my nieces to Exeter."

"I suppose not," he replied, hardly catching at her meaning. "One of
the girls at that dance the other night told me a great many queer facts
about your taboos on these domestic subjects; so I know how stringent
and how unreasoning they are. And, indeed, I found out a little bit for
myself; for there was one nice girl there, to whom I took a very great
fancy; and I was just going to kiss her as I said good-night, when
she drew back suddenly, almost as if I'd struck her, though we'd been
talking together quite confidentially a minute before. I could see she
thought I really meant to insult her. Of course, I explained it was only
what I'd have done to any nice girl at home under similar circumstances;
but she didn't seem to believe me. And the oddest part of it all was,
that all the time we were dancing I had my arm round her waist, as all
the other men had theirs round their partners; and at home we consider
it a much greater proof of confidence and affection to be allowed to
place your arm round a lady's waist than merely to kiss her."

Frida felt the conversation was beginning to travel beyond her ideas of
propriety, so she checked its excursions by answering gravely: "Oh,
Mr. Ingledew, you don't understand our code of morals. But I'm sure you
don't find your East End young ladies so fearfully particular?"

"They certainly haven't quite so many taboos," Bertram answered quietly.
"But that's always the way in tabooing societies. These things are
naturally worst among the chiefs and great people. I remember when I
was stopping among the Ot Danoms of Borneo, the daughters of chiefs and
great sun-descended families were shut up at eight or ten years old,
in a little cell or room, as a religious duty, and cut off from all
intercourse with the outside world for many years together. The cell's
dimly lit by a single small window, placed high in the wall, so that
the unhappy girl never sees an