His tone grew kind almost to affection. "My dear young lady, you misunderstand me. Insult couldn't be further from my thoughts. I'm speaking entirely for your own sake. You're young; you're very pretty; I won't say you've no knowledge of the world because I see you have--" "I've a good deal of knowledge of the world." "Only not such knowledge as would warrant you in pitting yourself against me." "But I don't. If you'd leave me alone--" "Let us keep to what we're talking of. I'm sorry for you; I really am. You're at the beginning of what might euphemistically--do you know the meaning of the word?--be called a career. I should like to save you from it; that's all. It's why I'm speaking to you very plainly and using language that can't be misunderstood. There's nothing original in your proceeding, believe me. Nearly every family of the standing of mine has had to reckon with something of the sort. Where there are young men, and young women of--what do you want me to say?--young women who mean to do the best they can for themselves--let us put it in that way--" "I'm a gentleman's daughter," I broke in, weakly. He smiled. "Oh yes; you're all gentlemen's daughters. Neither is there anything original in that." "Mrs. Rossiter will tell you that my father was a judge in Canada--" "The detail doesn't interest me." "No, but it interests me. It gives me a sense of being equal to--" "If you please! We'll not go into that." "But I must speak. If I'm to marry Hugh you must let me tell you who I am." "It's not necessary. You're not to marry Hugh. Let that be absolutely understood. Once you've accepted the fact--" "I could only accept it from Hugh himself." "That's foolish. Hugh will do as I tell him." "But why should he in this case?" "That again is something we needn't discuss. All that matters, my dear young lady, is your own interest. I'm working for that, don't you see, against yourself--" I burst out, "But why shouldn't I marry him?" He leaned on the table, tapping gently with his hand. "Because we don't want you to. Isn't that enough?" I ignored this. "If it's because you don't know anything about me I could tell you." "Oh, but we do know something about you. We know, for example, since you compel me to say it, that you're a little person of no importance whatever." "My family is one of the best in Canada." "And admitting that that's so, who would care what constituted a good family in Canada? To us here it means nothing; in England it would mean still less. I've had opportunities of judging how Canadians are regarded in England, and I assure you it's nothing to make you proud." Of the several things he had said to sting me I was most sensitive to this. I, too, had had opportunities of judging, and knew that if anything could make one ashamed of being a British colonial of any kind it would be British opinion of colonials. "My father used to say--"