Page:The Breath of Scandal (1922).djvu/300

 trouble with them)—and only reasonable, self-respecting commands!

She thought very probably it was true that if her father had not gone to Sybil Russell—at least if, after he went, his daughter had not heard of it—Marjorie Hale would now be the wife of William Whittaker and fulfilling her destiny in accordance with his ideas, or she would be hopelessly combating them. And she wondered how much the surrender to him would actually have offended that girl she had been. "I'd have something on my hands," she reckoned grimly, when she imagined herself having married Billy and either opposing him or seeking to modify his idea of their relation.

She was in her room, undressing, and Clara was there with her; for Clara had come home in time to witness and hear much of Billy's final pleading. But Clara maintained perfect tact in such a matter; for training in tact—Marjorie previously had thought—there evidently was no such school as growing up one of a family of nine in two rooms; so Clara had no difficulty in acting as though she had observed nothing and she wholly refrained from comment until Marjorie said:

"That was the man I was engaged to."

"Hmhm," said Clara, without surprise. "It struck me over there at the table that likely he'd seen you somewhere before."

"We're not engaged now."

"Hmhm. I suspected that's what you thought."

"He's a perfectly fine man, Clara; after what you've seen, I want you to know that. You saw him at his worst to-night; sometimes—and I gave him a good