to her feet.

"Is that me?" she demanded.

The surprise of the attack caught Mrs. Courage off her guard. She
could only open her mouth, and close it again, soundlessly and
helplessly. Jane stared, her curiosity gratified at last. Nettie
turned to whisper to Jane, "There; what did I tell you? The commonest
thing!" Steptoe nodded his head quietly. In this little creature with
her sudden flame, eyes all fire and cheeks of the wine-colored damask
rose, he seemed to find a corroboration of his power of divining
character.

It seemed long before Mrs. Courage had found the strength to live up
to her convictions, by faintly murmuring: "Who else?"

"Then tell me what you accuse me of?"

Mrs. Courage saw her advantage. "We ain't 'ere to accuse nobody of
nothink. If it's 'intin' that I'd tyke awye anyone's character it's a
thing I've 'ardly ever done, and no one can sye it _of_ me. All we
want is to give our notice----"

"Then why don't you do it--and go?"

Once more Steptoe intervened, diplomatically. "That's what Mrs.
Courage is a-doin' of, madam. She's finished, ain't you Mary Ann?
Jynie and Nettie is finished too----"

But it was Letty now who refused this mediation.

"No, they ain't finished. Let 'em go on."

But no one did go on. Mrs. Courage was now dumb. She was dumb and
frightened, falling back on her two supporters. All three together
they huddled between the portieres. If Steptoe could have calmed his
protegee he would have done it; but she was beyond his control.

"Am I the ruin and shame to this house that you was talkin' about just
now? If I am, why don't you speak out and put it to me plain?"

There was no response. The spectators looked on as if they were at the
theater.

"What have you all got against me anyhow?" Letty insisted,
passionately. "What did I ever do to you? What's women's hearts made
of, that they can't let a poor girl be?"

Mrs. Courage had so far recovered as to be able to turn from one to
another, to say in pantomime that she had been misunderstood. Jane
began to cry; Nettie to laugh.

"Even if I was the bad girl you're tryin' to make me out I should
think other women might show me a little pity. But I'm not a bad
girl--not yet. I may be. I dunno but what I will. When I see the
hateful thing bein' good makes of women it drives me to do the other
thing."

This was the speech they needed to justify themselves. To be good made
women hateful! Their dumb-crambo to each other showed