"
Ida averted her face still farther, but said nothing.
"Indeed!" said Mrs. Mayhew; "and has Miss Burton given him the
rights of a protector."
"Sorry to disappoint you, aunt; but I have no nice bit of gossip
to report. Miss Burton is an orphan, and so any friend of hers
has a right to protect her. I would have taken this matter into
my own hands were it not out of consideration for you and Ida,
who unfortunately have permitted yourselves to be identified with
Sibley as his especial friends. Indeed, most in the house regard
him as Ida's favored or accepted suitor. But I warn you to cut
loose from him at once or you may suffer a severe humiliation. If
you and Ida will continue to encourage him, then I tell you plainly
I shall follow you no further into the slough."
The maiden stamped her foot and made an emphatic gesture of rage
and protest, but did not trust herself to answer the cruel words,
each one of which was like the thrust of a knife.
But Mrs. Mayhew, whose desire to be respectable was a ruling passion,
now became thoroughly alarmed and said hastily:
"Mr. Sibley is certainly nothing to me, and I hope nothing to Ida.
Get rid of him any way you can, since things have reached the pass
you represent.
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