"I am deficient in self-confidence and decision," she said at last. "I always have been deficient in those qualities. Yet I think Miss Keeldar should have known my character well enough by this time to be aware that I always feel an even painful solicitude to do right, to act for the best. The unusual nature of the demand on my judgment puzzled me, especially following the alarms of the night. I could not venture to act promptly for another; but I trust no serious harm will result from my lapse of firmness."

"I am deficient in self-confidence and decision," said Mrs. Pryor. "I always have been deficient in those qualities. Yet I think Miss Keeldar should have known that I always try to do right. The unusual nature of the demand on my judgment puzzled me, especially following the alarms of the night. I trust no serious harm will result from my lapse of firmness."
