CHAPTER XXV 

A WOMAN'S INFLUENCE 

Muriel found it needful to wait several days for an opportunity for speaking to Prescott. It did not seem advisable to visit his house again, and she was at a loss for a means of meeting him when she overheard Leslie tell his wife that he would ask Prescott, who was going to Sebastian the next morning, to bring out some stores they required. The next day Muriel borrowed a team and, contenting herself with an intimation that she was going for a long drive, set off for the settlement. It would be time enough to confess her object if her sister taxed her with it, and there were one or two purchases she really wished to make. 

She had never gone so far alone, though she had occasionally driven to an outlying farm, and the expedition had in it the zest of adventure. Moreover, she was boldly going to undertake a very unusual task in showing Prescott what he ought to do. So far, she had been an interested spectator of the drama of life, but now she would participate in it, exercising such powers as she possessed, and the thought was additionally fascinating because among her intimate friends she could not pick out a man who owed much to a woman's guidance. Her sister had some mental gifts, but Harry Colston, disregarding her in a good-humored but dogged fashion, did what he thought best; while the idea of Jernyngham's deferring to Gertrude was frankly ridiculous. Neither man had much ability; indeed, it was, as a rule, the dullest men who were most convinced of their superior sense. Prescott far surpassed them in intellect; but she pulled herself up. She was not going to dwell on Prescott's virtues unduly, and she had not convinced him yet.  QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. Which person did Muriel have concerns for?
2. Who did Muriel worry about?
3. 
Q2:
1. Who would send for Prescott?
2. Who would have Prescott over?
3. 
Q3:
1. Who would ask Prescott to do a favor?
2. Who would ask if Prescott would do something for them?
3. 
Q4:
1. What favor would Leslie ask of Prescott?
2. What would Leslie ask Prescott to do?
3. 
Q5:
1. Where would Leslie ask Prescott to bring stores from?
2. What was the location where Leslie would ask Prescott to get some things from?
3. 
Q6:
1. What did Muriel do at the beginning of the day?
2. What did Muriel get up to at the day's start?
3. 
Q7:
1. What position did Muriel see herself, vis à vis the drama of life?
2. Where did Muriel place herself in the idea of life as a play?
3. 
Q8:
1. What was Muriel going to do now with respect to the drama of life?
2. What action was Muriel going to take, regarding the idea of life as a play?
3. 
Q9:
1. How many times before had Muriel taken the trip alone?
2. What was the number of solo journeys previously taken by Muriel?
3. 
Q10:
1. Did Muriel have a short distance to travel?
2. Did Muriel not have very far to go?
3. 
