"Besides," said she, suddenly, "you don't mean to say anything--_terribly_ bad about the Works in the articles--do you?" "Yes, terribly," replied Mr. V.V., leaving her completely taken aback. He added, formally, after a step or two: "I--ah--shouldn't feel honest if I left you in the slightest doubt--on that point." But she could not believe now that his articles would be so terrible, no matter what he said, and her strange reply was: "Then--suppose we don't talk about it." He said: "I feel it's better so." And then they walked on rapidly in silence. And somewhere in this silence, it came over Cally that the reason she could not distrust this man was because, in a very special way, she had learned to trust him; could not dislike him because the truth was that in her heart she liked him very much. And people must act as they felt. And then her thought suddenly advanced much further, as if mounting the last step in a watch-tower: and Cally saw that the question between herself and V. Vivian had always been, not what she might think of him, but what he thought of her.... The fruitful pause ran rather long. She considered complimenting Mr. V.V. upon his speech, expressing her surprise at his unlooked-for gentleness on the subject of the poor. How could one who spoke so kindly write terrible articles in the newspapers, attacking one's own father? Cally wondered, missing the perfectly obvious point of it all, namely: that when a man is a guest at a woman's club, his particular task is to look sharp to his tongue, ruling with a strong hand what besetting weakness he may have for grim speech, and abhorring ... But the whole subject was difficult to the girl, and it was he who broke the silence, speaking his pedestrian's apology again. And this time, so swift and straight had they come, Cally replied, with quite a natural laugh: "Never mind.... Here I am." She halted before the white-stone steps of home, and glanced involuntarily toward the windows. Independent though she felt since day before yesterday, she would not have cared to have mamma glance out just then.... "I _hadn't_ realized that we were here already!" "Oh, it isn't far, as you see.... But it was good of you to bring me." It was a parting speech; but Cally said it with no inflection of finality. So, at least, it seemed to be considered. V. Vivian stood drawing O's with his stick on the flagging belonging to Mr. Heth, of the Works. He took some pains to make them exactly round. "I hope," said he, "that your--your annoyance over this matter won't interfere with your interest in the Settlement. I hope you still think of--of helping in the work." "Oh!... I don't know," replied Cally, having thought but little about this since Hugo's reentrance into her life. "Mr. Pond, you see, convinced me pretty well of my uselessness--"