her duty to listen?--for the sake of this young life, which in these few
weeks had so won upon her heart?

She retraced a few steps.

"Miss Merton, I do not understand what you have been saying. If you have
any claim upon Miss Mallory, you know well that she is the soul of
honor and generosity. Her one desire is to give everybody _more_ than
their due. She is _too_ generous--I often have to protect her. But, as I
have said before, it is not for me to discuss any claim you may have
upon her."

Fanny Merton was silent for a minute--staring at her companion. Then she
said, abruptly:

"Does she ever talk to you about Aunt Sparling?"

"Her mother?"

The girl nodded.

Mrs. Colwood hesitated--then said, unwillingly: "No. She has mentioned
her once or twice. One can see how she missed her as a child--how she
misses her still."

"Well, I don't know what call she has to miss her!" cried Fanny Merton,
in a note of angry scorn. "A precious good thing she died when she
did--for everybody."

Mrs. Colwood felt her hands trembling. In the growing darkness of the
winter afternoon it seemed to her startled imagination as though this
black-eyed black-browed girl, with her scowling passionate face, were
entering into possession of the house and of Diana--an evil and invading
power. She tried to choose her words carefully.

"Miss Mallory has never talked to me of her parents. And, if you will
excuse me, Miss Merton--if there is anything sad--or tragic--in their
history, I would rather hear it from Miss Mallory than from you!"

"Anything sad?--anything _sad_? Well, upon my word!--"

The girl breathed fast. So, involuntarily, did Mrs. Colwood.

"You don't mean to say"--the speaker threw her body forward, and brought
her face close to Mrs. Colwood--"you are not going to tell me that you
don't know about Diana's mother?"

She laid her hand upon Muriel's dress.

"Why should I know? Please, Miss Merton!" and with a resolute movement
Mrs. Colwood tried to withdraw her dress.

"Why, _everybody_ knows!--everybody!--everybody! Ask anybody in the
world about Juliet Sparling--and you'll see. In the saloon, coming over,
I heard people talk about her all one night--they didn't know who _I_
was--and of course I didn't tell. And there was a book in the ship's
library--_Famous Trials_--or some name of that sort--with the whole
thing in it. You don't know--about--Diana's _mother_?"

The fierce, incredulous emphasis on the last word, for