"I merely suggest," he said, with stiffening dignity, "that she does seem to be much interested in Donald--and he in her--now. I happen to know that he called on her twice the day he left for New York, and talked with her over the telephone this morning. But you mistake me, if you think I mean to criticize your cousin--personally. I hope I understand better than that how--all this--is as logical and mathematical as a natural law. How far in the other direction the education of women ought to take them ... that, of course, is not for me to guess.... My point is only that these--these perfectly logical ambitions--are strong enough to be taken seriously by those who mean to oppose them." "Do you doubt that I take this seriously?" "I have doubted it, I must admit.... Suppose this house-party comes to nothing, what do you mean to do?" The former heroine of the write-ups did not answer him at once. She sat in a straight chair, half-sidewise, a considerable distance away; her arm was laid along the chair-back, her cheek sunk upon her hand. Something in the pose made the caller think of Donald's exaggerated statement, that he had never seen Mary so blue in his life. When she spoke, it was not again to suggest, offhand, that he should save Donald by stepping in. "You are right, of course," she said with a certain dignity herself. "I haven't been thinking of it as seriously as I should--evidently. Now--if this doesn't come to anything--I'll need some time to plan about it." "It's going to be rather troublesome, I'm afraid. And you--I--" "I'll make it my chief interest, you may be sure." Then the stiff caller, examining his shirt-cuff as if he had never seen such an object before, released his logical comment: "But I'm afraid you haven't left yourself a great deal of time, have you? Two weeks may prove rather a small allowance--for a difficult matter like this." "Oh, I--hope there will be time enough. Meantime, I--" "I hadn't realized you were going so soon, you see. That will add to the difficulties, I'm afraid. Donald says you expect to leave on the 20th." He meant his rejoinders to be unanswerable, and she seemed to find them so. Glancing up from his cuff in the silence, Charles found his famous friend's eyes fixed upon him in a strange gaze, which her lids and lashes veiled at once. Had that look struck him from any other eyes in the world, he would have labeled it reproachful, without the smallest hesitation. But Mary was never reproachful: she scarcely thought enough of him for that; and, besides, the shoe was on the other foot, as she should know very well.