Their eyes met, and Diana's cheek reddened slightly. "You are an extraordinary girl," she said, "and there seems no way but to be honest with you. Unfortunately, it's not so easy, even with the best will in the world. Can you understand _that?_" "If you love him--" "Oh, for pity's sake spare me!" Diana bounced up and stepped to the window. The red on her cheek had deepened, and she averted it to stare out at the poultry in the yard. "You are unconscionable," she said after a while, with a vexed laugh. "I have known my cousin Oliver since we were children together. Really, you know, you're almost as brutal as mamma. . . . The truth? Let me see. Well, the truth, so near as I can tell it, is that I just let mamma have her head, and waited to see what would happen. This was her expedition, and I took no responsibility for it from the first." "I understand." Ruth, watching the back of her head, spoke musingly, with pursed lips. "Excuse me"--Diana wheeled about suddenly--"you cannot possibly understand just yet. This last was my tenth season in London. One grows weary . . . and then in the confusion of papa's death-- It comes to this, that I was ready for anything to get out of the old rut. I--I--shall we say that I just cast myself on fate? It may have been at the back of my head that whatever happened might be worse, but couldn't well be wearier. But if you think I had any design of setting my cap at him--" "Hush!" said Ruth softly. "I had no such thought." "And if you had, you would not have cared," said Diana, eyeing her again long and steadily. "Mamma--you really must forgive mamma. If you knew them, there was never a Pett that was not _impayable_. Mamma spoke of asking your price. . . . As if, for any price, he would give you up!" "I have no price to ask, of him or of any one." "No, and you need have none. I am often very disagreeable," said Diana candidly, "but my worst enemy won't charge me with disparaging good looks in other women." "May I use your words," said Ruth, with a shy smile, "and say that you have no need?" "Rubbish! And don't talk like that to me, sitting here and staring you in the face, or I may change my mind again and hate you! I never said I didn't _envy_. . . . But there, the fault was mine for speaking of 'good looks' when I should have said, 'Oh, you wonder!'" broke off Diana. "May I ask it--one question?" "Twenty, if you will." "It is a brutal one; horrible; worse even than mamma's." "As I remember," said Ruth gravely, "Lady Caroline asked none. It was I who did the questioning, and--and I am afraid that led to the trouble." Diana laughed, and after a moment the two were laughing together. "But what is your question?" "No, I cannot ask it now." Diana shook her head, and was grave again. "Please!"