Miss Richardia seized upon the admission swiftly and turned it as a weapon against him. “You do, indeed! You owe it to Mr. Vance Tregarvon not to keep any of the anchors in reserve. As you once said, yourself, you are too impressionable.” “A light o’ love,” he laughed. “I must tell Elizabeth what an eloquent special pleader she has unconsciously acquired down here in the wilds of Tennessee. What have I done that I ought not to have done?” “I am not your conscience,” was the cool-voiced reply. “But you are,” he retorted accusingly. “You tell me what I ought to do, and I promise to go and do it. My intentions are always good.” “I am not sure of even that much, now. You have changed very remarkably in the past few weeks, and you must forgive me if I say that the change hasn’t been altogether for the better. You were just a nice, cheerful boy when you came to Tennessee, and you’re not that any more.” “I have good reasons, and plenty of them,” he blurted out. “Do you want to hear them?” “Not when you talk that way,” said Miss Birrell, and her attitude became suddenly indifferent. “You shall hear them, whether you want to or not,” he broke in almost roughly. “I have the whole world against me on this Ocoee proposition; I have given my word to Elizabeth when I don’t love her as the man who is going to marry her ought to love her; and----” “That is quite enough,” she interposed quietly. “It only proves what I said a minute ago. You can’t afford to hold any of your anchors in reserve. I think we had better join Mr. Carfax and the young women. Don’t you?” “No. And I call that downright cruel, when we see so little of each other, and I almost never have you to myself any more.” “It is your saying such things as that that makes me think I ought to be cruel. There are times when you need cruelty. Nothing milder would do any good.” “You may as well say the remainder of it,” he prompted. “I shall. It is really serious. You must come to a better understanding with Miss Wardwell; and you must stop coming so often to Highmount.” “The first time I went to Highmount you told me that I might come as often as I pleased. You needn’t worry about the school-girls. If you say the word, I’ll never speak to one of them again unless she is duly chaperoned at the moment.” “We were speaking of Miss Wardwell,” was the rather chilling reminder. “Well, we will speak of her, then. She isn’t losing any sleep on my account. If you only knew Elizabeth as well as I do--but what’s the use!” “There appears to be no use at all, and I have already said more than your nearest friend ought to say. Suppose we talk of something else.” Tregarvon refused flatly to accept the invitation. “No; I want to know about my welcome at Highmount. I have had Mrs. Caswell’s warrant in the past. I have it yet. You can’t make me stay away.” Miss Richardia’s pretty chin went up a quarter of an inch.