uzzled shamefacedness. He disappeared
into the house. Nothing passed between Miss Trix and myself. A moment
later Newhaven came out.

"Why, Miss Queenborough," said he, in apparent surprise, "Ives is going
with Mrs. Wentworth in the canoe!"

In an instant I saw what she had done. In rash presumption she had told
Newhaven that she was going with the curate--and now the curate had
refused to take her--and Ives had met him in search of Mrs. Wentworth.
What could she do? Well, she rose--or fell--to the occasion. In the
coldest of voices she said, "I thought you'd gone for your walk."

"I was just starting," he answered apologetically, "when I met Ives.
But, as you weren't going with him---" He paused, an inquiring look in
his eyes. He was evidently asking himself why she had not gone with the
curate.

"I'd rather be left alone, if you don't mind," said she. And then,
flushing red again, she added. "I changed my mind and refused to go
with Mr. Ives. So he went off to get Mrs. Wentworth instead."

I started. Newhaven looked at her for an instant, and then turned on
his heel. She turned to me, quick as lightning and with her face all
aflame, "If you tell, I'll never speak to you again," she whispered.

After this there was silence for some minutes.

"Well?" she said, without looking at me.

"I have no remark to offer, Miss Queenborough," I returned.

"I suppose that was a lie, wasn't it?" she asked, defiantly.

"It's not my business to say what it was," was my discreet answer.

"I know what you're thinking."

"I was thinking-," said I, "which I would rather be--the man you will
marry, or the man you would like---"

"How dare you? It's not true. Oh, Mr. Wynne, indeed it's not true!"

Whether it were true or not I did not know. But if it had been, Miss
Trix Queenborough might have been expected to act very much in the way
in which she proceeded to act: that is to say, to be extravagantly
attentive to Lord Newhaven when Jack Ives was present, and markedly
neglectful of him in the curate's absence. It also fitted in very well
with the theory which I had ventured to hint, that her bearing towards
Mrs. Went worth was distinguished by a stately civility, and her
remarks about that lady by a superfluity of laudation; for if these be
not two distinguishing marks of rivalry in the well-bred, I must go
back to my favorite books and learn from them--more folly. And if
Trix's manners were all that they should be, praise no