"I will never make it worth your while to be silent," said Christian. "I can't imagine how you learnt it, but you have learnt it by dishonorable means. Anyhow, I am not going to be afraid of you."
"Aren't you?" said Susan. "There is plenty of firelight; that is a good thing. A fire is nice, and we are quite alone—absolutely safe and comfortable—so we will just argue this matter."
"You may say anything you like," replied Christian very stoutly, "but I am not going to be afraid of you."
Her attitude and manner, and even the look on her face, impressed Susan. She was evidently astonished.
"Why does Miss Peacock say that you were unavoidably detained?" was her next remark.
"You must ask Miss Peacock that yourself," replied Christian.
"Very well; I must now tell you the simple truth, Christian Mitford. You can take whatever attitude you please on this occasion. You may pretend to be indifferent, but you don't know what it means. It lies in your power to tell the school or not."
"That is what I intend to do," said Christian.
"Is it? Well, we'll see. If you do it you will imagine yourself a sort of heroine, no doubt; you will think yourself extremely brave. But wait for the result. How do you think your schoolfellows will take it? You spent the night, for instance, in the slums. We don't any of us—we lady girls who live in this school—know what the slums mean, but you do. Then you were fearfully wicked and disobedient. The girls who are not wicked and who are not disobedient will be afraid of you. In short, I may as well assure you, Christian, if you tell this thing, if it is known in the school, you will be sent to Coventry. Do you know what Coventry means?"
"I have heard of it, but I should like to have your version," said Christian.