"If she were to speak. What would your father think of her?"

But for the first time Cecil's allegiance had experienced a certain
shock. Some sort of pedestal had hitherto been needful to her
existence; she was learning that Dunstone was an unrecognized
elevation in this new country, and she had seen a woman attain to a
pinnacle that almost dazzled her, by sheer resource and good sense.

All the discussion she afterwards heard did not tend to shake her
opinion; Raymond recounted the adventure at his mother's kettle-
drum, telling of his own astonishment at the little lady's
assurance.

"I do not see why she should be censured," said Cecil. "You were
all at a loss without her."

"She should have got her husband to speak for her," said Mrs.
Poynsett.

"He was not there."

"Then she should have instructed some other gentleman," said Mrs.
Poynsett. "A woman spoils all the effect of her doings by putting
herself out of her proper place."

"Perfectly disgusting!" said Julius.

Cecil had decidedly not been disgusted, except by the present strong
language; and not being ready at repartee, she was pleased when
Rosamond exclaimed, "Ah! that's just what men like, to get
instructed in private by us poor women, and then gain all the credit
for originality."

"It is the right way," said the mother. "The woman has much power
of working usefully and gaining information, but the one thing that
is not required of her is to come forward in public."

"Very convenient for the man!" laughed Rosamond.

"And scarcely fair," said Cecil.

"Quite fair," said Rosamond, turning round, so that Cecil only now
perceived that she had been speaking in jest. "Any woman who is
worth a sixpence had rather help her husband to shine than shine
herself."

"Besides," said Mrs. Poynsett, "the delicate edges of true womanhood
ought not to be frayed off by exposure in public."

"Yes," said Raymond. "The gain of an inferior power of man in
public would be far from compensated by the loss in private of that
which man can never supply."

"Granted," said Rosamond slyly though sleepily, "that it always is
an inferior power of man, which it does not seem to have been in the
actual case."

"It was a point on which she had special knowledge and information,"
said Mrs. Poynsett.

"And you were forced to thank her," said Cecil.

"Yes, in common civility," said Raymond; "but it was as much as I
could do to get it done, the position was a fal