"He wouldn't run away with you if you wanted to," said Alice crossly, and could have bitten out her tongue for the speech. "Really!" Mrs. Barrast tittered significantly. "Has it gone as far as that?" "What do you mean?" Alice grew red. "My dear! You are a woman talking to a woman, so there is no need for you to try and deceive me. You want to marry this charming young fellow!" "I don't admit that, Amy." "Whether you admit it or deny it, what I state is the case." "You have no right to say so. I like Mr. Montrose. I admire him!" "Words! Words! Words! You love him. Look at yourself in the glass, my dear. I think your colour tells the truth." "What if it does?" "Ah! Then you admit that I am right?" Alice saw that it was useless to fence with Mrs. Barrast, who was much too clever to be deceived and far too dangerous to be tampered with. "Yes! I am in love with--Mr. Montrose." "Why not say with Douglas?" tittered the little woman. "Douglas, if it pleases you." "My dear, the question is if it pleases _you_ and--him. Am I blind?" asked Mrs. Barrast dramatically. "Am I a fool? Do you think that during the past three weeks I have left you and that nice boy together without guessing the truth ages and ages ago? I never ask for tickets. He gives them to me to get me out of the way, which"--ended the butterfly justly--"is not complimentary to me." "I don't mind Mr.--well then, Douglas, giving you boxes at the theatres," said Alice petulantly; "but why take flowers and gloves and----" "Because I want such things," retorted Mrs. Barrast coolly. "If you are foolish enough not to take presents from him, I don't see why I should not. But I am glad that we have come to an understanding, dear, as I wish to know if you are in earnest, or if you are merely flirting." "And if I am flirting?" "Then I think it's very horrid of you. He has a heart and hearts can be broken. I don't flirt myself," said Mrs. Barrast, uttering the lie with the greatest composure, "but if you are making a fool of that nice boy I shall take him off your hands and be a--a--well, a mother to him." Alice laughed outright. "You are much too young and pretty to be a mother to any one, Amy!" "That's right. Taunt me because I haven't any children. Frederick is always complaining, as if it was my fault, which I'm sure it isn't. But as to this flirting----" "It isn't flirting. Douglas and I understand one another." "Really. How sly you are! Has he said anything?" "All that I wished him to say." "Then he has proposed?" "Yes!" Alice contented herself with the affirmative and did not trouble to give the date of the proposal. Mrs. Barrast understood that it had taken place within the last day or so, and even that displeased her. "It's quite immoral for him to be so hasty," she exclaimed, because the idea of Montrose adoring Alice and not herself was annoying and hurt her vanity.