Tell me, please." Mrs.Taine hesitated as though reluctant.

Then, as if forced by her sense of duty, she spoke.

"The truth is, my dear, that your being with Mr.King in the mountains--going to his camp as familiarly as you did, and spending so much time alone with him in the hills--and then your coming here so often, has led people to say unpleasant things." "But what do people say ?" persisted Sibyl.
The answer came with cruel deliberateness; "That you are not only Mr.
King's model, but that you are his mistress as well." Sibyl Andres shrank back from the woman as though she had received a blow in the face.

Her cheeks and brow and neck were crimson.

With a little cry, she buried her face in her hands.
The kind voice of the older woman continued, "You see, dear, whether it is true or not, the effect is exactly the same.