"Don't tell me there's a misunderstanding between you and Miss Fitzgerald. I'm so sorry. I wouldn't for the world--that is, I almost feel as if I'd been to blame." "You're not the only one of my friends who has misjudged her-- I've done so myself--utterly." "But surely this little difference will not be lasting--I hoped----" "Would you wish me to marry Miss Fitzgerald, Lady Isabelle?" "Well, perhaps I won't say that--but I should certainly not wish anything I might have said to prevent you from so doing. Of course, my only reason for interfering was prompted by a wish for your happiness." "Do you think you understand what that comprises?" "That's just the point I wanted to make clear," she said hastily, determined that he must understand, even at the expense of a slight indiscretion on her part, which she felt would be far preferable to the slightest misunderstanding of their relative positions, in view of any future action of her mother's. "You see," she continued, "to put it frankly, what could I possibly know of the requirements which, in a woman, would go to make you happy. Of course, you and I are friends, great friends; but just that state of affairs, as far as we're concerned, makes any judgment of mine useless concerning the kind of woman you could love." Stanley, who could scarcely help drawing his own inferences, was piqued that she should have felt it necessary to batter a self-evident fact into his brain in such a bald manner. "I wish," he said, "that her Ladyship, your mother, was possessed of the same lucid views on kindred subjects." "Poor mamma," murmured his companion, "she's a trifle conventional; but, of course, if you're not in sympathy with her, you can easily avoid her." There, the cat was out of the bag at last, and both felt easier in consequence. Stanley threw himself into the breach at once, and took the burden of the conversation. "I'm sure," he said, "I don't believe that half of the people in the world can tell for the life of them why they fall in love with a certain person and not with another. As we're talking confidentially, I don't mind telling you that I've decided that I'm in love with Miss Fitzgerald, and that the best thing I can do is to tell her so as soon as possible, though I'm afraid there is little chance of her having me." "I can honestly say," rejoined his companion, "that, if that is how the case stands, I do hope you'll be successful." Having arrived at this amicable and highly satisfactory conclusion, they realised that in the earnestness of their discussion they had not noticed the lapse of time. "Dear me, it must be getting late. I trust we're not far from the Hall," said Lady Isabelle. "To tell you the truth, I don't know just where we are," he replied. They were standing in a thick plantation at the time, through which meandered the little path they were following. "There's rising ground ahead, however," he continued, "and, I think, a clearing."