"It's more likely priggishness, as you say, or contradiction," pursued Miss Forsyth. "I wouldn't even flatter him by calling it quixotry. It's all conceit and love of meddling and thinking himself a saint. Oh, I do detest him, cordially!" "After all, he's my cousin," said Trixie; "you might as well be civil when you speak of him, and if you know so much about his motives, why do you ask me what they are?" Her tone was snappish, but her friend did not seem to notice what she said. Her eyes--Mabella had rather good dark eyes, they were her one "feature"--were fixed on vacancy, but her lips moved, though no words were audible. Suddenly she moved to Beatrix. "I have it!" she exclaimed; "or I'm beginning to have it. No! I'm not going to tell you yet. I must know my ground and my puppets better first. But something I must say to you, my dear; you're too clumsy for anything; you'll be overdoing your part, I'm certain. Now, oblige me by telling me how you are intending to receive Miss Wentworth and her adoring mamma." "Oh, of course, very nicely," said Beatrix, opening her eyes. "I shall be particular how I speak, and I shall try to seem--well, rather more of an _ingenue_ than _you_ consider me. And I'll trouble _you_, to keep out of my way, if you please, Mab, and not come out with any of your agreeable, ladylike, little remarks or reminiscences." Miss Forsyth looked at her calmly. "I always knew you were a goose," she said, "but I never thought you quite _such_ a goose. Don't you see that if you take up that _role_, your people--Florence for certain, and even the others; one wouldn't need to be very sharp in such a case--would see there was mischief brewing, _especially_ if you kept _me_ at a distance, and the whole thing would collapse." "I don't know, in the first place, what `the whole thing' is," said Trixie, sulkily. "But if I'm not to do as I propose, what am I to do? Remember, I _must_ behave decently, or father will be down on me in hot earnest. There's a limit to his patience, especially if he began to think I had been humbugging him this morning." "Of course you must behave decently, and more than decently," said Mabella. "You must look rather _snubbed_, if you can manage it; and if I tease you a little, you must bear it in a good-girl sort of way, as if you were turning over a new leaf, and it was too bad of me to make it harder for you. Oh, I could do it to perfection! I only wish I could be you and myself too." "But I don't see that that style of thing will attract Miss What's-her-name to me," objected Trixie.