'And what am I to take care of?' she said; 'and what right have you to speak to me in this way?' 'Take care of your companions, my dear. You have chosen the most dangerous, the worst you could find--Mr. Desvoeux.' 'Stop, stop!' cried Maud, jumping up in a fury; 'he is my friend, my kind friend. I will not hear him abused.' 'You must be on your guard,' continued the other, with exasperating pertinacity; 'he is very unprincipled.' 'I know he is very agreeable,' cried Maud; 'unprincipled! what do you mean by that?' 'I mean--I mean,' said the other, 'that he is dangerous--just the sort of man to try to kiss you, if you gave him the chance.' 'Indeed?' cried Maud, by this time in far too great a passion to be either courteous or discreet, 'I should think none the worse of him for that. _I believe they all would!_' Having delivered this parting shot, Maud hurried away in a great state of agitation, and Mrs. Fotheringham shrugged her shoulders in despair at so unseemly an outburst of temper, so awful a view of human nature. When they got home that night Maud told Mrs. Vereker her troubles, and was relieved to find what slight importance she attached to them. She burst out laughing, and clapped her hands in delight at Maud's account of the encounter with Mrs. Fotheringham. 'But, my dear child, what induced you to make such a foolish speech? And as for Mr. Boldero, he wanted you himself, don't you understand? Flirt a little with _him_ to-morrow and see how much he will want to lecture you then.' 'But he won't flirt with me,' said Maud; 'it is very odd. Besides, I was in a passion, and told him never to speak to me again. Poor fellow!' 'You dear little goose!' Mrs. Vereker said, kissing her, 'sit down this instant and write and tell him you are broken-hearted for being so rude, and that he is to come to lunch and finish his lecture to-morrow. You must not quarrel with all the world at once.'