"'You!' she said. 'Hard for you? What is there hard for you anywhere? _You_ don't take any chances. Humph!' and she turned away again. "'Just what does that mean?' I enquired. 'If you don't care anything about young Siddons, you're hardly likely to care much about any of the rest of us.' "'No?' she said, tauntingly. 'No?' "'I offered you my sympathy,' I began, and she turned on me again. "'This?' she asked, holding up the address I had given her. 'What's the good of this, if I wanted help?' "'But what can I do?' I insisted. 'Use me. Tell me what you want me to do!' "'Well,' she said in a dry, hard voice and looking away out to sea. 'I suppose you know what a girl in my position usually wants of a single man, don't you?' "'But, my child,' I said, 'this is extraordinary!' "'Oh, don't '_my child_' me,' she retorted in a passion. 'I thought you understood.' "Well, I suppose I had understood in a vague sort of way, but I certainly had not credited her with any active designs of this sort. And while I sat beside her reflecting upon the precarious nature of a bachelor's existence, I found she had glanced round upon me again, her expression at once critical and derisive. She saw through my sentimental interest in her affairs. She knew that at the first signal of danger to my own peace and position I would sheer off, regretfully but swiftly. Of course she was perfectly right. The mere thought of her father and his mangy lieutenant was sufficient. She had so much against her. It was horrible. As I sat there counting up the handicaps which Fate had imposed upon her I was aware of that critical and derisive smile regarding me over her shoulder. And I felt ashamed. I had an uneasy feeling that she was thinking of my severely paternal manner when I put my arm round her and made her take my address. She thought more of young Siddons, no doubt, more even of Nikitos, who was willing to marry her without knowing her secret, than she did of me. That is one of the penalties of remaining a super in the play. The leading lady regards you with critical derision or she doesn't regard you at all. "'Let us suppose,' I suggested after a silence, 'that I do understand. Then why do you turn down young Siddons?' "She made a sound and a gesture of impatience. "'Oh, because of any amount of reasons,' she said, looking out to sea again. 'A lot I'd see of him if he knew.' "'Doesn't he? He told me you had had a bad time.' She shrugged her shoulders. "'I told him some sort of tale, just to pass the time. I'm not such a fool. _You_ can tell him if you like,' she laughed shortly. 'I knew a girl in the office who was engaged. She told him one day, after making him promise to be her friend, and he nearly killed her, and left her.' "'Young Siddons wouldn't do that,' I asserted. "'No, he's a gentleman,' she sneered. 'He'd sail away. A handy profession, a sailor's!'