Immediately her sire was seized with an access of stuttering.

‘W-w-what the d-devil’s the—­the m-m-meaning of this?’

Her utterance was clear enough,—­I fancy her parent found it almost painfully clear.

’Rather it is for me to ask, what is the meaning of this!  Is it possible, that, all the time, you have actually been concealed behind that—­screen?’

Unless I am mistaken the old gentleman cowered before the directness of his daughter’s gaze,—­and endeavoured to conceal the fact by an explosion of passion.

Do-don’t you s-speak to me li-like that, you un-undutiful girl!  I—­I’m your father!’

’You certainly are my father; though I was unaware until now that my father was capable of playing the part of eavesdropper.’

Rage rendered him speechless,—­or, at any rate, he chose to let us believe that that was the determining cause of his continuing silent.  So Marjorie turned to me,—­and, on the whole, I had rather she had not.  Her manner was very different from what it had been just now,—­it was more than civil, it was freezing.

’Am I to understand, Mr Atherton, that this has been done with your cognisance?  That while you suffered me to pour out my heart to you unchecked, you were aware, all the time, that there was a listener behind the screen?’

I became keenly aware, on a sudden, that I had borne my share in playing her a very shabby trick,—­I should have liked to throw old Lindon through the window.

’The thing was not of my contriving.  Had I had the opportunity I would have compelled Mr Lindon to face you when you came in.  But your distress caused me to lose my balance.  And you will do me the justice to remember that I endeavoured to induce you to come with me into another room.’

’But I do not seem to remember your hinting at there being any particular reason why I should have gone.’

‘You never gave me a chance.’

’Sydney!—­I had not thought you would have played me such a trick!’

When she said that—­in such a tone!—­the woman whom I loved!—­I could have hammered my head against the wall.  The hound I was to have treated her so scurvily!

Perceiving I was crushed she turned again to face her father, cool, calm, stately;—­she was, on a sudden, once more, the Marjorie with whom I was familiar.  The demeanour of parent and child was in striking contrast.  If appearances went for aught, the odds were heavy that in any encounter which might be coming the senior would suffer.

’I hope, papa, that you are going to tell me that there has been some curious mistake, and that nothing was farther from your intention than to listen at a keyhole.  What would you have thought—­and said—­if I had attempted to play the spy on you?  And I have always understood that men were so particular on points of honour.’

Old Lindon was still hardly fit to do much else than splutter,—­ certainly not qualified to chop phrases with this sharp-tongued maiden.