ese reflections, for Max sat moodily silent
after my blunt remark, but at last he said,--

'I am afraid I believe it, Ursula, and that is more to the purpose. Miss
Darrell has dispelled my last hope.'

'You mean that Captain Hamilton's return speaks badly for your chances?'

'I have no chances,' very gloomily. 'I am out of the running. Miss
Hamilton's message--for I suppose it was a message--was my final answer.
She did not wish me to speak to her again.'

'Are you sure that she sent that message?'

'Am I sure that I am sitting here?' he answered, rather irritably. 'What
have you got in your head, Ursula, my dear? You must not let personal
dislike influence your better judgment. Perhaps Miss Darrell is not to my
taste; I think her sometimes officious and wanting in delicacy; but I do
not doubt her for a moment.'

'That is a pity,' I returned drily, 'for she is certainly not true; but
all you men swear by her.' For I felt--heaven forgive me!--almost a
hatred of this woman, unreasonable as it seemed; but women have these
instincts sometimes, and Max had warned me against Miss Darrell from the
first.

'I will be frank with you,' I continued, more quietly. 'I do not read
between the lines: in other words, I do not understand Gladys's
behaviour. It may be as you say; I do not wish to delude you with false
hopes, my poor Max; Gladys may care more for Captain Hamilton than she
does for you; but it seems to me that you acted wrongly on one point; you
meant it for the best; but you ought to have spoken to Gladys yourself.'

'I wonder that you should say that, Ursula,' he returned, in rather a
hurt voice. 'I may be weak about Miss Hamilton, but I am hardly as weak
as that. Do you think me capable of persecuting the woman I love?'

'It would not be persecution,' I replied firmly, for I was determined
to speak my mind on this point. 'Miss Darrell may have misconstrued
her meaning: the truth loses by repetition: she may have added to or
diminished her words. A third person should never be mixed up in a love
affair: trouble always comes of it. I think you were wrong, Max: you let
yourself be managed by Miss Darrell. She has nothing to do with you or
Gladys.'

'I could not help it if she came to me.'

'True, she thrust herself in between you. Well, it is too late to speak
of that now. If you will take my advice, Max,' for the thought had come
upon me like a flash of inspiration, 'you will go down to Bournemouth and
speak