Mrs. Ingleton slightly shrugged her shoulders. "You are behaving
like a child of six, and really, if you go on, you will provoke me
into treating you as such. The attitude you have chosen to adopt
is neither sensible nor dignified, let me tell you. You resent my
presence here. Very well; but you cannot prevent it. Would it not
be much wiser of you either to submit to my authority or----"
"Or?" repeated Sylvia icily.
"Or take the obvious course of providing yourself with a home
elsewhere," said Mrs. Ingleton.
Sylvia put up a quick hand to her throat. She was breathing very
quickly. "You wish to force me to marry that horrible Preston
man?" she said.
"By no means, my dear," smiled Mrs. Ingleton. "But you might do a
good deal worse. I tell you frankly, you will be very much
underdog as long as you elect to remain in this establishment. Oh
yes!" She suddenly rose to her full majestic height, dwarfing the
girl before her with conscious triumph. "I may have some trouble
with you, but conquer you I will. Your father will not interfere
between us. You have seen that for yourself. In fact, he has just
told me that he leaves the management of you entirely to me. He
has given me an absolutely free hand--very wisely. If I choose to
lock you in your room for the rest of the day he will not
interfere.
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