"I hope she has not suffered from the cold bath she took in the lake," I continued. "Not at all." "She was very much agitated and distressed." "She will get over that." "We would like to see her, if you please," I added, coming to the point without any more parleying. "It would not be convenient for her to see you this evening," answered Mrs. Loraine, with more emphasis than an ordinary case seemed to require. "I am sorry, for we desire very much to see her; indeed, we promised to see her after she had changed her clothes." "Well, young gentlemen, I will assure her you have kept your promise, which will be sufficient to relieve you from any charge of want of fidelity," said she. "I beg your pardon, Mrs. Loraine, but if it isn't too much trouble, we would like very much to see Miss Kate." "It would be no trouble at all, but it would be entirely inconsistent with my purposes to have her leave her room to-night," answered she, haughtily. "At what hour to-morrow could we see her," I asked. "It would not be proper at any hour to-morrow for you to see her. Kate is a wilful and disobedient girl, and I find it necessary to permit her to see no one, in her present frame of mind." "Perhaps I ought to tell you, Mrs. Loraine, that Kate very strongly objected to returning to her home, and begged us to land her any where--in the woods--rather than bring her back to you," I added. "Did she, indeed!" exclaimed Mrs. Loraine, her face becoming very red. "Then she is even more wilful than I supposed." "It was only by the promise to see her, that we induced her to land here." "You behaved very properly in returning her to me, and I am greatly obliged to you for your consideration. It is not necessary for me to detail to you, who are strangers to me, the troubles I experience in my domestic affairs; and you are too gentlemanly to wish to pry into them." "Excuse me, but when a young lady becomes so desperate as to jump overboard, it seems to me she must be in a very bad condition." "That was all a sham. Perhaps I have indulged her too much, and not begun early enough to subdue her violent temper. She is very wilful, and needs stern discipline." "Do you think it was fair to keep her in a room a week for taking too long stitches, or for treading on a flower?" She looked at me, and turned red again. "I see that Kate has been indelicate enough to tell you about our family affairs. Of course you have sufficient discretion to disbelieve such ridiculous stories." "After pulling her out of the lake, we were much interested in her. We don't wish to interfere, but I suppose there can be no harm in telling us what you did shut her up a week or ten days for." "I am greatly obliged to you, young gentlemen, for what you have done; but I cannot submit to be called to an account for my conduct in my own family. I must ask you to excuse me now, for I have an engagement at this hour."