"But do you think it was fair," she said with some spirit--"do you
think it was fair to believe all this harm about a woman you had never
seen? Now, listen. A hundred times I have begged Mr. Lavender to be
more attentive to his wife--not in these words, of course, but as
directly as I could. Mamma has given parties, made arrangements for
visits, drives and all sorts of things, to tempt Mrs. Lavender to come
to us, and all in vain. Of course you can't thrust yourself on any one
like that. Though mamma and myself like Mrs. Lavender very well, it
is asking too much that we should encounter the humiliation of
intermeddling."

Here she stopped suddenly, with the least show of embarrassment. Then
she said frankly, "You are an old friend of hers. It is very good of
you to have risked so much for the sake of that girl. There are very
few gentlemen whom one meets who would do as much."

Ingram could say nothing, and was a little impatient with himself. Was
he to be first reproved, and then treated with an indulgent kindness,
by a mere girl?

"Mamma," said Mrs. Lorraine, as an elderly lady entered the room,
"let me introduce to you Mr. Ingram, whom you must already know. He
proposes we should join in some conspiracy to inveigle Mrs. Lavender
into society, and make the poor little thing amuse herself."

"Little!" said Mrs. Kavanagh with a smile: "she is a good deal
taller than you are, my dear. But I am afraid, Mr. Ingram, you have
undertaken a hopeless task. Will you stay to luncheon and talk it over
with us?"