Miss Ainsley was not satisfied with the letter at all, one reason being that it revealed too much penetration on Clancy's part. While she welcomed him with her old cordiality she took him to task at once. "This is a spurious letter," she said, holding it up. "You would never write such an affair to a male friend. You betrayed a consciousness of my femininity in every line. You preached to me and warned me with the same penful of ink. You write as if you were a commonplace male cynic, and I a woman who was trying to unsex herself by a lot of ridiculous affectations. I wished a genial, jolly letter such as you might write to an old college chum." "Do you know the reason why I did not, rather could not, write such a letter?" "No." "Because you are not an old college chum." "I was not aware that you were so tremendously sincere." "I'm not tremendously sincere--not tremendous in any grand sense of the word, but I've learned that I can be tremendously awkward in a false position. It is absurd of you to fancy that I can think of you in any other light than that of a beautiful woman, gifted with more than your share of intellect. I prefer that our friendship should rest on this obvious fact. We are too old 'to make believe,' as children say. I came to this conclusion within an hour after I wrote the letter." "Oh, you dashed it off hastily, without giving it thought?" "I've given you two thoughts to your one," he replied, laughing lightly. "And none of them very complimentary, judging from the letter." And she impatiently tore it up. "That's right. Put it out of existence." "I almost wish I had kept it as documentary evidence against you," she remarked. "Oh, come! Friends do not wish evidence against, but for each other. I could remain away scarcely a week." "From business, yes." "Or from my most delightful recreation; yes." "You find me very amusing then." "I do indeed, and interesting also. I am quite certain that your society gives me far more pleasure than mine affords you." "Since I am relegated to woman's sphere I certainly shall not protest against that belief. I am now under no bonds to be distressingly frank." "You never would have been any franker than you wished to be. For the manifestation of that trait I shall have to depend on something very different." "And what may that be?" "Why, simply the quality of your friendship." "I am satisfied that mine compares very favorably with yours." "In both instances neither of us can escape one sure test." "Indeed! What test?" "That of time," he replied, smiling significantly. "Good-by. I'm quite sure that your regard will survive till to-morrow afternoon when we are to take a sail in the harbor, so Mrs. Willoughby has informed me." Miss Ainsley gave a little complacent nod in his direction as he disappeared, and thought, "Since you are so content and agreeable as a friend merely, I'm half-inclined to keep you as such, and marry some one else." CHAPTER XXXIV