As she joined Mrs. Maynard, “Well, Grace,” said the latter, “I do believe you are right.  I have taken some more cold.  But that shows that it does n’t get worse of itself, and I think we ought to be encouraged by that.  I’m going to be more careful of the night air after this.”

“I don’t think the night air was the worst thing about it, Louise,” said Grace bluntly.

“You mean the damp from the sand?  I put on my rubbers.”

“I don’t mean the damp sand,” said Grace, beginning to pull over some sewing which she had in her lap, and looking down at it.

Mrs. Maynard watched her a while in expectation that she would say more, but she did not speak.  “Oh—­well!” she was forced to continue herself, “if you’re going to go on with that!”

“The question is,” said Grace, getting the thread she wanted, “whether you are going on with it.”

“Why, I can’t see any possible harm in it,” protested Mrs. Maynard.  “I suppose you don’t exactly like my going with Mr. Libby, and I know that under some circumstances it would n’t be quite the thing.  But did n’t I tell you last night how he lived with us in Europe?  And when we were all coming over on the steamer together Mr. Libby and Mr. Maynard were together the whole time, smoking and telling stories.  They were the greatest friends!  Why, it isn’t as if he was a stranger, or an enemy of Mr. Maynard’s.”

Grace dropped her sewing into her lap.  “Really, Louise, you’re incredible!” She looked sternly at the invalid; but broke into a laugh, on which Mrs. Maynard waited with a puzzled face.  As Grace said nothing more, she helplessly resumed:—­

“We did n’t expect to go down the cliff when he first called in the evening.  But he said he would help me up again, and—­he did, nicely.  I was n’t exhausted a bit; and how I took more cold I can’t understand; I was wrapped up warmly.  I think I took the cold when I was sitting there after our game of croquet, with my shawl off.  Don’t you think so?” she wheedled.

“Perhaps,” said Grace.

“He did nothing but talk about you, Grace,” said Mrs. Maynard, with a sly look at the other.  “He’s awfully afraid of you, and he kept asking about you.”

“Louise,” said the other, gravely ignoring these facts, “I never undertook the care of you socially, and I object very much to lecturing you.  You are nearly as old as I am, and you have had a great deal more experience of life than I have.”  Mrs. Maynard sighed deeply in assent.  “But it does n’t seem to have taught you that if you will provoke people to talk of you, you must expect criticism.  One after another you’ve told nearly every woman in the house your affairs, and they have all sympathized with you and pitied you.  I shall have to be plain, and tell you that I can’t have them sneering and laughing at any one who is my guest.  I can’t let you defy public opinion here.”

“Why, Grace,” said Mrs. Maynard, buoyed above offence at her friend’s words by her consciousness of the point she was about to make, “you defy public opinion yourself a good deal more than I do, every minute.”