She felt shocked and disgusted, but did not mean to let her anger master her, because there were matters that must be carefully weighed.  Indeed, it was something of a relief to dwell upon the first.  To hear of Festing’s thrashing her traducer had given her a pleasant thrill, but all the same she vaguely disapproved.  He had not taken a dignified line and had really made things worse.  It was humiliating to feel that she had been the subject of a vulgar poolroom brawl.

“Could you not have found a better way to silence him?” she asked.

“I could not.  I was afraid you wouldn’t like it, but you must try to understand that I was forced to play up to local sentiment.  English notions of what is becoming don’t hold good here; you can’t stop a man like Wilkinson with a supercilious look.  If I’d let the thing go, the boys would have thought his statements true, and the tale is bad enough to deal with.”

Helen gave him a steady look, but her color was high and her face was hard.

“But you know it isn’t true!”

“Of course,” said Festing, with quiet scorn.  “All that the brute insinuated is absolutely false.  Bob’s a fool, but he knows you, and I’m beginning to think he’s a little in love with his wife.”

“Ah,” said Helen, “I knew you knew.  But I felt I must hear you say so.”

Festing hesitated.  One difficulty had vanished, but there was another, and he hoped Helen would see his point of view.

“For all that, in a way, there was some truth in the story; enough, in fact, to make it dangerous, and I think you have been rash.  Bob has been here too often, and you will remember I objected to his coming.”

“You did,” said Helen.  “You were rather disagreeable about it; but you objected because he liked to talk and kept you from your work.”

“He certainly talked.  General conversation is all right in English country houses where nobody had much to do, but casual chatterers who insist on talking when you’re busy are a disgusting nuisance in Canada.  However, I don’t think that’s worth arguing about.”

“It is not,” said Helen, with a smile.  “Besides, I know your opinions about that point.  What do you wish me to do?”

“Warn Sadie to keep Bob at home.  There’s no reason she shouldn’t visit you, but you can’t go there.”

The color returned to Helen’s face and she got up.  She looked stately with her air of injured pride.

“Do you mean that I should rule my conduct to suit the ideas of the drunken loafers at the settlement poolroom?”

“Oh!” said Festing impatiently, “try to be sensible!  You have done a foolish thing, but you needn’t make it worse.  The trouble is that those loafers’ opinions will be reflected all round the neighborhood.  Wilkinson won’t say anything more; at least, he won’t when I’m about; but I can’t keep on throwing out people who agree with him.”

“That is plain.  If you were not so angry, the remark would be humorous.”