'Yes,' said Desvoeux, in the most injured tone, 'and I used to lend her my ponies, and, when she wanted me, to drive her. And what do you think that Miss Fotheringham was cruel, wild enough to ask? To give back all my little mementoes to write no more notes, have no more drives; in fact, discard my oldest, dearest friend!--I told her, of course, that it was impossible, impossible!' Desvoeux cried, getting quite excited over his wrongs: '"Cruel girl," I said, "am I to seal my devotion to you by an infidelity to the kindest, tenderest, sweetest of beings?" Thereupon Miss Fotheringham became quite unreasonable, went into hysterics, sent me back a most lovely locket which I had sent her only that morning; and Fotheringham _père_ wrote me the most odious note, in his worst style, declaring that I was trifling! Trifling, indeed! and to ask me to give up my----' 'Your sister!' cried Maud; 'it was hard indeed! Well, here we are at home. Let me jump down quick and go in and get my scolding.' 'And I,' said Desvoeux, 'will go to the Agency and get mine.' Stolen waters are sweet, however; and it is to be feared that these two young people enjoyed their _tête-à-tête_ none the less for the consideration that their elders would have prevented it if they had had the chance. CHAPTER XII. A CHAPTER OF DISCLOSURES. For his thoughts, Would they were blank sooner than filled with me! Maud did not exactly get a scolding, but Felicia looked extremely grave. Maud's high spirits were gone in an instant; the excitement which had enabled her to defy propriety hitherto deserted her at the door; the recklessness with which Desvoeux always infected her had driven away with him in his mail-phaeton, and left her merely with the disagreeable consciousness of having acted foolishly and wrongly. Felicia knew exactly how matters stood and scarcely said a word. Her silence however was, Maud felt, the bitterest reproach. 'Scold me, scold me, dear,' she cried, the tears starting to her eyes; 'only don't look like that and say nothing!' 'Well,' said Felicia, 'first promise me never again to drive alone with Mr. Desvoeux.' 'After all,' suggested Maud, 'it is a mere matter of appearances, and what do they signify?' 'Some matters of appearance,' said Felicia, 'signify very much. Besides, this is something more than that. It is bad enough for you to be _seen_ with him--what I really care about is your _being_ with him at all.' 'But,' said Maud, 'he is really very nice: he amuses me so much!' 'Yes,' answered the other, 'he amuses one, but then it always hurts. His fun has a something, I don't know what it is, but which is only just not offensive; and I don't trust him a bit.' 'But,' Maud argued, 'he is great friends with George, is he not?'