"I slipped," said the doctor. "Where’s your mother, my boy?" This was an attempt to disarm Eddie by reminding him that the doctor was his mother’s husband, and therefore venerable; but it was not successful. He received no reply, and went sauntering off with exaggerated jauntiness, watched by Eddie till he was out of sight. Then Eddie turned to Angelica. "I’m sorry," he said gravely. "Oh, it don’t matter!" she answered. "I can take care of myself all right." "I wasn’t apologizing for my father-in-law’s conduct. I meant I was sorry that _you_----” "Me?" she cried, indignantly. "I didn’t do anything!" "I hate to think of you stooping to this sort of thing--this silly vulgarity. It isn’t like you. It isn’t worthy of you!" The former factory girl, with her long memory of scenes so much more vulgar and silly than this--of faces slapped and insults replied to with most forcible language--stared, astounded, at Eddie, at his displeased and disappointed face. "You ought to be more dignified," he said. "You say you want to improve yourself. Then, in that case, this sort of thing----” She really had seen nothing reprehensible in her conduct, nothing to be censured. She knew, of course, that a girl in her situation mustn’t spend her time in "fooling" with the men of the household; but to disapprove it on high moral grounds ...! However, the word "dignified" gave her a clue. It was those magnificent women he had in mind! She was falling short of their standard, and therefore disappointing Eddie. She wasn’t being magnificent. She looked up at him. "I see!" she said thoughtfully. "All right! I’ll try!" "That’s right," he said. "I knew--if it were pointed out to you--that that sort of thing is so out of keeping with your character----” "With your face," he meant. He meant, without being aware of it, that any sort of coarseness in a girl so lovely and desirable was a shocking offense to him. Angelica left him, inspired by the loftiest thoughts. She was resolved to redeem this day begun so inauspiciously, breakfasting with the servants, knocking over the white-haired doctor. She pictured a new Angelica, stately and aloof. "He does me good--that feller!" she reflected. CHAPTER TEN I It now became the aim of Angelica’s life to satisfy Eddie. She felt that his standard was the right one, however painfully high it might be, and that he was genuinely concerned with helping her to attain it. And she felt that, in spite of his youthfulness and his somewhat grandiloquent air, he was a remarkable and an admirable man.