I gave Mr. Carruthers some tea, and asked the usual things about sugar and cream. His eye had almost a look of contempt as he glanced at me, and I felt an angry throb in my throat. When he had finished he got up, and stood before the fire again. Then, deliberately, as a man who has determined to do his duty at any cost, he began to speak: “You know the wish--or rather, I should say, the command, my aunt left me,” he said--“in fact she states that she had always brought you up to the idea. It is rather a tiresome thing to discuss with a stranger, but perhaps we had better get it over as soon as possible, as that is what I came down here to-day for. The command was, I should marry you.”--He paused a moment. I remained perfectly still, with my hands idly clasped in my lap, and made myself keep my eyes on his face. He continued, finding I did not answer--just a faint tone of resentment creeping into his voice--because I would not help him out, I suppose--I should think not! I loved annoying him! “It is a preposterous idea in these days for any one to dispose of people’s destinies in this way, and I am sure you will agree with me that such a marriage would be impossible.” “Of course I agree,” I replied, lying with a tone of careless sincerity. I had to control all my real feelings of either anger or pleasure for so long in Mrs. Carruthers’ presence that I am now an adept. “I am so glad you put it so plainly,” I went on sweetly. “I was wondering how I should write it to you, but now you are here it is quite easy for us to finish the matter at once. Whatever Mrs. Carruthers may have intended me to do, I had no intention of obeying her, but it would have been useless for me to say so to her, and so I waited until the time for speech should come. Won’t you have some more tea?” He looked at me very straightly, almost angrily, for an instant; presently, with a sigh of relief, he said, half laughing-- “Then we are agreed, we need say no more about it!” “No more,” I answered, and I smiled too, although a rage of anger was clutching my throat. I do not know who I was angry with--Mrs. Carruthers for procuring this situation, Christopher for being insensible to my charms, or myself for ever having contemplated for a second the possibility of his doing otherwise. Why, when one thinks of it calmly, should he want to marry me? A penniless adventuress with green eyes, and red hair, that he had never seen before in his life. I hoped he thought I was a person of naturally high colour, because my cheeks from the moment I began to dress had been burning and burning. It might have given him the idea the scene was causing me some emotion, and that he should never know! He took some more tea, but he did not drink it, and by this I guessed that he also was not as calm as he looked!