It's a most strange business altogether.

You went to see them, didn't you ?" Hilary nodded.
"I've been speaking to Father," Cecilia murmured; "but he's hopeless--I, couldn't get him to pay the least attention." Hilary seemed thinking deeply.
"I wanted him," she went on, "to get some other girl instead to come and copy for him." "Why ?" Under the seeming impossibility of ever getting any farther, without saying what she had come to say, Cecilia blurted out: "Mrs.Hughs says that Hughs has threatened you." Hilary's face became ironical.
"Really!" he said.

"That's good of him! What for ?" The frightful indelicacy of her situation at this moment, the feeling of unfairness that she should be placed in it, almost overwhelmed Cecilia.
"Goodness knows I don't want to meddle.

I never meddle in anything-it's horrible!" Hilary took her hand.
"My dear Cis," he said, "of course! But we'd better have this out!" Grateful for the pressure of his hand, she gave it a convulsive squeeze.
"It's so sordid, Hilary!" "Sordid! H'm! Let's get it over, then." Cecilia had grown crimson.

"Do you want me to tell you everything ?" "Certainly." "Well, Hughs evidently thinks you're interested in the girl.