The Aunt Caroline could not believe her ears.  She was obliged to sit down.  Her emotion made her knees tremble.  It was true then—­ something had been going on under her very eyes and she had not perceived it—­the deceit and perfidy of human nature had always been a shock to her—­

“You wish to break your engagement, Stella,” she said, as soon as she could steady her voice.  “But you cannot possibly do so scandalous a thing—­and for what reason, pray?”

“I find I do not love Eustace,” Stella answered calmly, although her heart now began to beat rapidly.  “I know I never have loved him; it was only because I thought it would please you and Uncle Erasmus that I ever became engaged to him, and now that I know what love is—­I mean now that the time is getting nearer, I feel that I cannot go through with it.”

“There is something underneath all this, Stella,” Mrs. Ebley said icily.  “You cannot deceive me.  You have been led astray, girl—­it is wiser to confess at once and I will try to pardon you.”

Stella’s spirit rose—­she raised her head proudly, then she remembered her lover’s counsel to have no arguments whatsoever, and so she curbed her heated words and continued gently: 

“I have not been led astray, Aunt Caroline, and there is nothing to pardon.  I am twenty-one years old now and surely can judge for myself whether or no I wish to marry a man—­and I have decided I do not intend to marry Eustace Medlicott.  I almost feel I detest him.”

Mrs. Ebley was petrified with anger and astonishment.

“I am sorry to tell you I cannot believe you, Stella,” she said, “your fiance had a most unpleasant shock last night.  The foreign person, Count Roumovski, who was presented to us at the Embassy, insulted him greatly, and told him that you had agreed to marry him as soon as Eustace should set you free!  I almost blush to repeat to you this shocking story which we had considered the ravings of a madman, but the time has come when we must have some plain speaking.”

“It has indeed,” Stella agreed, her wrath rising, then went on respectfully, “but I must refuse to discuss anything about Count Roumovski at present.  Please believe me that I do not wish to annoy you, dear Aunt Caroline.  I only wish to do what is right, and I know it is right to break off my engagement with Eustace Medlicott.”

Mrs. Ebley felt her anger augmenting to boiling point, but nothing, she could say had any effect upon her niece, who remained extremely respectful and gentle, but perfectly firm.  Mrs. Ebley could not get her to tell her anything about her acquaintance with this dreadful foreigner.  She became silent after she had refused point blank to discuss him.  At last the baffled and exasperated older lady got up and fired her last shot.

“Words cannot express my pain and disgust at your conduct, Stella,” she said.  “Putting aside all the awful suspicions I have about this Russian, you will lay up for yourself a lifelong regret in outraging all decency by refusing to marry that good and pure young clergyman, Eustace Medlicott.”