For if he really falls in love with you, he may try to follow you when you get ready to leave." "Matilda!" gasped Mrs.De Peyster.
Thereafter, whenever he tried to speak to her in the hallways she shrank from him in both fear and indignation.

But her rebuffs did not lessen by one ray the smiling amicability of his bland countenance He tried to become confidential, tried to press toward intimacy; one evening he even had the unbelievable audacity to ask if he might call upon her! She flamed with the desire to destroy him with a look, a word; Mrs.De Peyster knew well how thus to snuff out presuming upstarts.

But caution warned her that she dared not unloose her powers.

So she merely turned and fled, choking.
But the reverend gentleman's unperturbed overtures continued.
Mrs.De Peyster and Matilda did not speak of money at first; but it was constantly in both their minds as a problem of foremost importance.

Their failure to buy fresh outfits, as they had told Mrs.
Gilbert they intended doing, thus supplying "baggage" that would be security for their board, caused Mrs.Gilbert to regard them with hostile suspicion.