He was sensible of being manipulated, operated, but he was helpless to escape from the performer or to fathom her motives.

His pensiveness passed into gloom, and was degenerating into sulky resentment when he went away, after several failures to get back to the old ground he had held in relation to Alma.

He retrieved something of it with Mrs.Leighton; but Alma glittered upon him to the last with a keen impenetrable candor, a child-like singleness of glance, covering unfathomable reserve.
"Well, Alma," said her mother, when the door had closed upon him.
"Well, mother." Then, after a moment, she said, with a rush: "Did you think I was going to let him suppose we were piqued at his not coming?
Did you suppose I was going to let him patronize us, or think that we were in the least dependent on his favor or friendship ?" Her mother did not attempt to answer her.

She merely said, "I shouldn't think he would come any more." "Well, we have got on so far without him; perhaps we can live through the rest of the winter." "I couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

He was quite stupefied.