" I thought," said he, and he beat a tattoo with his
fingers on the wainscoting, " you might be sorry
for what has happened ; that if it were to be gone
over again, you would not be so quick to condemn
me ; that if it were brought back to the starting
point, you would trust me a little more, and my
enemies a little less." He waited a moment and
then continued. " It has hurt me."

She made no motion of sympathy, and he
added "somewhat." " I did not think it of you,"
he went on, " but," and he made a gesture with



1



88 TRINITY SKETCHES.
his hand that seemed to include everyone, " they
said that it made no difference to you ; yoiv
weren't the one to care for a little thing like that."

" What did you say ? " she asked, and he might
have seen she was trembling, but he was looking
down and did not notice.
" Nothing," he replied, and paused. " Yes, I
believe I did say something ; I said, * Why should
she ? ' "

She had turned from him, and was leaning
back.against the banisters, with her hands folded
in her lap, looking away from him.
" You used to tell me," said she, and her voice
was husky, " that a man should learn to brave the
opinion of the world, and a woman to submit to
it."

" Yes, I did ; is it not true ? A cjmic once told
me, that if a man did not smirch his reputation
himself, some woman's tongue would do it for him,
and his best friends would be the first to believe.
