Aunt Matilda paused for a sigh and fixed her eyes in sad reminiscence upon a little clump of ferns that, full of conceit, were waving incessant salutes at their dainty reflections in the water. "Hang the story of her life!" muttered the miserable youth in the pool. His teeth were beginning to chatter. "Do go on, aunty!" cried the eager Adnah. "Well, child, they were all alike. Having insinuated their way into our confidences by agreeable manners and by their really indisputable attractiveness, having aroused the beginnings of tender emotions, what did these young men do, one and all? Why, instead of waiting until the acquaintance had ripened into mutual undying affection and then falling gracefully to their knees with honorable proposals of marriage, they one and all chose what seemed to be favorable moments and strove, by cajolery or stealth or even force, to kiss us. To _kiss_ us!" "Gracious!" exclaimed Adnah. There was a moment's silence. The young man in the pool could feel the goose-flesh pimpling between his shoulder blades. "After all, though, it might not have been so very dreadful," finally commented Adnah, after a thoughtful sigh. "Adnah!" cried the horrified Aunt Matilda. "I am astounded!" "I can't help it, aunty," said Adnah. "I can't make it seem so terrible, no matter how hard I try. In fact it--it seems to me that it would have been--well--rather nice." "Adnah!" "But, aunty, didn't it ever seem that way to you, sometimes?" Aunt Matilda was shocked and silent for a moment, then over her pale cheeks crept a pink flush. "I'll not deny," she presently confessed in a hesitant voice, "that if we had not had each other to rely upon for firmness we might perhaps have been deluded by some of these young scapegraces. They were truly quite appealing at times. There was one in particular--" Again Aunt Matilda became lost in meditation. The young man in the pool swore softly, even though he perceived the tear that trembled upon the lady's eyelash. It was impossible to be sympathetic while a leech was fastened to his ankle. "My mother must have thought the way I do, I am sure," persisted Adnah. The remark brought Aunt Matilda out of the past with a jerk. "Your poor mother had the most pitiful experience of all, child," she replied. "She married. Shortly after you were born, she died, fortunately spared all knowledge of your father's faithless fickleness. Adnah, he, too, married again! You, Adnah, was too young to protect yourself from a stepmother, but we came to your rescue. Your great uncle, Peter, had just died and left us this fine estate, and here we are, trying to shield you from the wiles of the destroyer, man!" "Some men must be nice, or so many, many girls would not want them," commented Adnah, still unconvinced. "I'll not deny, dear, that some of them _seem_ quite nice," admitted the other with a sigh. "There was one in particular--"