The Making of a Prig

teacher who was so warmly recommended by him, more especially as her junior mistress had left her most inconveniently in the middle of term;

unded belief in herself. By resolutely playing on the weaknesses of others, she concealed her own shallowness of mind; and she made up for her lack of brains by contriving to have clever people always about her. She had chatted herself into a fashionable and paying connection in that part of Bayswater which calls itself Hyde Park; and if she employed tact and dissimulation in order to entrap the mothers of the neighbourhood, she was, to do her justice, genuine in her love of their children. Katharine would have found it difficult to like such

ior teacher, Katharine was interrupted in the middle of her f

truders that she was not to be interrupted so lightly as the other teachers. On this occasion she finished explaining to the children that saying Mary Howard

Austen, you are so obliging always, and my literature lecturer has suddenly disappointed me, and the first class will have nothing to do in the next hour. So tiresome of Mr. Fletcher! His wife is ill, and he is such a good husband,-quite a model! So I have set them an essay; I cannot bear to have the ordinary work interrupted; and

the first breathing space. "I mean, I could give them one if you liked, on something

in you. Children, you must make the most of your teacher while she is with you, for I shall have to take her away f

e best," said Katharine, detaining her with difficul

ecture better than anything else in the world, and had, in fact, been on the point of suggesting it herself; after which, she we

ture the lady princip

s, were so beautiful before. Where did you find out all that? I should like to learn it up

tried no

to read it up in a hurry, I should think." But the lady principal never allowed herself to be thwarted, when s

ol, my dear Miss Austen," she exclaimed. "I insist upon

of the importance of food as well; and she resolutely set to work to starve herself during those ten days. Fortunately, she was constitutionally strong, and she never reached the stage of privation when food becomes distasteful; but there was little consolation for her in the fact that she remained healthily hungry all the time, and had to run past the pastry-cooks' shops to escape their seductive display. Long walks at supper time did not compensate for a meal that was satisfying,

rine. "They have evidently been abu

willingly, the next morning, when t

came home full of it. Said you were no better than the rest of us, after all. I said you never pretended to be; it was our own look out, if

h full of hair-pins. "Did she describe the gentleman in

rd; had a flavour of dead loves about him, I think she said; but I d

entertaining. Was

s not going to tell any more,

ally Polly, considering how much you have done f

hey say?" inter

rant with him; and she declares you see him every day, and that you are going all wrong. I said I should like to kill her. And they all said you must have gone wrong, because you are never in to supper now. I said I should like to kill them

that she should know why Katharine was rol

aps you do not eat enough? Take my advice, and try maltine; it is an excellent tonic for the appetite!" And Katharine walked out into the sunshine and the warm air, with a feeling of joy at the thought of the cheque she was to receive on the morrow. There was only one more day of privation for her; and she called herself greedy for thinking about it, and laughed at her own greediness, all in the same breath. She might easily have humbled her pride and gone home to lunch like a rational being, now that she saw her way to paying for it; but such a weakness as that never entered her head for a mo

. "But what a hurry you are in, to

luenced him too; certainly, he had not been starving for a fortnight, nor would he have seen the humour of it, probably, if he had. But these re

hat's all; and I felt obliged to walk. Besides, it is the fi

lly over it, any way.

h to-day," she said hastily. "Don't let

ot to come along, too, so don't make any more objections. I'm not a healthy young woman like you, and I can't eat my three courses at breakfast, and

n so independent, if she had been a little less hungry. "There's a confectioner's along here, that always looks rat

nly a shop. Have yo

; and the savoury smell that greeted them as they entered reminded he

ot to say what you like; this is your merrymaking, yo

at, please. You don't know how beaut

cross the little table, and the old

er his preliminary instructions. "You may abuse the food at your pl

ne carelessly, "that it has a

ral charm triumphing over difficulties. Try som

looked p

the rest. I advise the bootlaces. Nonsense! you must do as you are told, for a ch

ors d'?uvre with a relish, and longed for more, and wondered if she should ever attain to th

that you have none of the ordinary frailties of the flesh. I really believe it w

and remember that I am not a woman. It is o

him, with a comical expressi

nquire more deeply into it; but the rest is probably accounted for by the carte, if you

ne. "I believe, if you found yourself really hungry one day, force of habit would s

ve you a desire for more food, but merely imparts an element of pleasu

etween the courses, "that I'm not a superior p

drink? White or red?

looking mischievously at what was visible of him over the

laying down the wine list. Then he looke

live with me, do

ve with sixty-three working gentlewomen

t her that she found herself beginning to blu

"I am quite sure I can

igrams, you might have had some choice in the mat

pleasant to do as she was told by him; and her eyes

-day," she felt o

se it is the first d

was afraid lest she had said too much. But he nodded, and seemed to und

der," she continued in the same tone

e. Man was created to look after woman, and

ough, by now, to know when

dence a lot of trouble," she s

and she was beginning slowly to remember that there was still such a place as number ten, Queen's Cresce

and it has been so b

e to be dull yet; I'll tell you when it is," sa

rine, opening her eyes wide in a

ee, of course. Let's se

Then she reddened a little. "You w

u most childis

n to a theatre

to get to the theatre before it began. And she sat through the three acts with her hand lying in his; and to her it was a

f chill through her. They seemed to have fallen back into the conventional attitude again, the

, half guessing her thoughts. She looked up

me," she said. "I never knew anyt

first holidays, you see. We will do it again some day."

e for her, and which fell through. But on both these occasions he was in his silent mood, and she came away infected by his dulness. Then she met him one day in the neighbourhood

ns seemed gone, and there was no time to substitute new ones; she told herself bitterly that she had no place in her own home, and that she had burnt her ships when she went out to make herself a new place in the world. Ivingdon seemed narrower in its sympathies and duller than ever; she wondered how people could go on living with so few ideas in their minds, and so few topics of conversation; even the Rector irritated her by his want of intere

ll,-generally about some small success of hers which she felt obliged to confide to some one, and liked best of all to confide to him. Sometimes he did not answer them; and she sighed, and took the hint to write no more for a time. And sometimes he wrote back one of his ceremonious replies, which she had learnt to welcome as the most characteristic thing he could have sent her; for, in his letters, Paul never lost his formality. It was a

one of the first fine days, Paul was lazily smoking in his arm-chair after a late breakfast, when a knock at his outer door roused him unpleasantly from a reverie that had threatened to become a nap; and he rose slowly to his feet with somethi

asked Paul, w

ss. And on a morni

e than his usual show of energy, a

said, with a slowly da

n impatient gesture. "But the sun was shining, and

o difficulty in putting up with it; an

come?" he suggested, when he came back again

is my half-term holiday; a

ing towards the gently flapping blind.

you never would have known it was a fine

ome to see me for the purpose of tel

the back of her chai

rest of her news in little instalments, to give it more emphasis. "It's my ha

you say that befo

to the country fo

l, who did not

h a visit?" Her laugh rang out, and filled the little room. Pau

arine," he sa

to do something jolly to-day; and I've never asked you anything before, have I? Do,

it is not customary to come and visit a ma

rted Katharine, "that nothi

you are beyond the ta

tly, and came over to t

u get sarcastic. I am not beyond anything, and I am certainly not above ask

leg, and swinging the other about in that

as too quick for her, and the cushion went spinning to the othe

, and I am too old for romping in

was playing with his watch chain, and he d

me to?" he

ittle whisper; and her fingers strayed u

eadfully impro

and weakly kissed her fingers. She did

ned. "It is impossible to play with you,

sed to annoy Ted. I think it is because I never had any fun at home, or any one to play with, except Ted. And the

old," sm

her away from him almost roughly, and gla

" he said shortly, "and ke

d Katharine, in s

all he said; and he went out and spoke f

rn. He still frowned a little, and she felt

Wouldn't he com

at her inc

rummaging among the papers on his desk. The colour came into her face, and she

wly. The joy seemed suddenly to have b

explain quietly; "but if you were to be seen in here alon

ed as though s

s no harm in my comin

m at all. It isn't tha

hould I not come? It is all rubbish, isn't it? I won't co

I don't want other people to know that you do, because of what they might say. It is for your sake ent

e shook

ome. And it was so pleasant, and you have always been so nice to me. Why did you not tell me before? I don't see how it can be wrong, and yet it can't be ri

, as stated baldly by Katharine, was a very lame one. "It is not wrong, as far

t again that it was her stupidity that was annoyin

on, it seems to exist solely for the sake of the other people, so they may as well say what they like about it. I don't care. It i

and he put his hand out and drew her towards him. She was only

er made to live in the world as it is. If all women were

arine suddenly. But when, instead of contradicting her, he tried t

to my head at the moment. It was something horrid; don't let us talk about it an

t had grown very dark in the last ten minutes. He held her out at

ust be looked to at once; and I have some other work, too. Go

don't mind your not coming," she said, looking steadily on the gro

r. "All right; I won't, then. Go and find some one else for a com

horrid things to me before,"

observed Paul coolly. "Besides, I was under the imp

rticularly unkind! If I had wanted to go out

cenes. But he could not help seeing the tears in her eyes as she wal

ermined, as he spoke, that it should certainly be a very long time before he saw her a

don't mean it, do you? Say you don'

tle pink ear that was nearest to him. But when he saw the look on her face, and the quick way in which her b

cubicle, mending stockings; while the rest of her wardrobe occupied all the available space to be s

ck already?" cried Phyllis, tripping

arine, without looking up. She threaded her needle,

llis wondering

yed at home instead, and mended my clothes; they seemed

. "I should have left it

our holidays according to the weather. Mi

the chair, and s

stranged all her friends in time. Katharine never minded

really to cry about. I don't know why I did. Don't sit the

h ill-timed affection. "I should like to tell him w

ttering about?"

id Phyllis. "Have

you. I wish you wouldn't both

can talk," said Phyllis. In about ten minutes she r

y. However, she added that she believed there was some shortbread on the boo

tly, after a long pause, "

ve nothing to do all day but to play about, you can afford to have a man

rine. "Don't you think th

ou begin to warm up, they come down with a quencher, and you feel you've been a sight too

girl can have a man for a frien

n it; never did;

" observed Katharine. "Of co

. "The man would always spoil it, i

w, with her arms behind her head,

all. There is no need for a woman to be conventional, is there? She isn't afraid of being suspected, all the time. I'm c

llis. "But of course men have to be more conventional than we a

enly bad is preferable to the man who is conventionally good. Of course Paul is not bad at all; but,

looking up. "Your

, Phyllis, do you think any woman

n, if she is not

er unconscious friend, who was still munching shortbread

love with him, very m

e you can do anything, if you've got it badly; yo

a woman: it is her imperfections. He likes her to be jealous, and vain, and full of small deceptions. He hates her to be

ig to worship him, then; nor cute eno

, you should never fall in lo

lis. "You can always pretend

l more charitable; and she took up her pen, and wrote to her mother's connections, the

mind not to know Paul any more. For he had taught her the desire f