her to have Martha moved up from the foot of the
table. Once or twice she stole a glance at the woman who had in the
olden days dandled her on her knees. The glance was a mixture of guilt
and mischief, like a child's. But the glance had not the power to
attract Martha's eyes. Martha felt the glances as surely as if she had
lifted her eyes to meet them. She held her peace. She had not been
brought along as Elsa's guardian. Elsa was not self-willed but
strong-willed, and Martha realized that any interference would result
in estrangement. In fact, Martha beheld in Warrington a real menace.
The extraordinary resemblance would naturally appeal to Elsa, with what
results she could only imagine. Later she asked Elsa if she had told
Warrington of the remarkable resemblance.

"Mercy, no! And what is more, I do not want him to know. Men are vain
as a rule; and I should not like to hurt his vanity by telling him that
I sought his acquaintance simply because he might easily have been
Arthur Ellison's twin brother."

"The man you are engaged to marry."

"Whom I have promised to marry, provided the state of my sentiments is
unchanged upon my return; which is altogether a different thing."

"That does not seem quite fair to Mr. Ellison."

"Well, Martha?"

"I beg your pardon, Elsa; but the stranger terrifies me. He is
something uncanny."

"Nonsense! You've been reading tales about Yogii."

"It is a terrible country."

"It is the East, Martha, the East. Here a man may wear a dress-suit
and a bowler without offending any one."

"And a woman may talk to any one she pleases."

"Is that a criticism?"

"No, Elsa; it is what you call the East."

"You have been with me twenty years," began Elsa coldly.

"And love you better than the whole world! And I wish I could guard
you always from harm and evil. Those horrid old Englishwomen . . ."

"Oh; so there's been gossip already? You know my views regarding
gossip. So long as I know that I am doing no wrong, ladies may gossip
their heads off. I'm not a kitten."

"You are twenty-five, and yet you're only a child."

"What does that signify? That I am too young to manage my own affairs?
That I must set my clock as others order? Good soul!" putting her arms
around the older woman. "Don't worry about Elsa Chetwood. Her life is
her own, but she will never misuse it."

"Oh, if you were only married and settled down!"

"You mean, if I were happily married and s