shesaid；’thatmustbemyprotection。’SoshefollowedMissVanSieverdownstairs，leavingMrDalrympleinpossessionofherboudoir。’Ishallgiveyoujustonehour，’shesaid，’andthenIshallcomeandturnyouout。’Soshewentdown，and，asMissVanSieverwouldnotstaytolunchwithher，sheateherlunchbyherself，sendingaglassofsherryandabiscuituptothepoorpainterathiswork。
Exactlyattheendofthehourshereturnedtohim。’Now，Conway，youmustgo，’shesaid。
’Butwhyinsuchahurry？’
’BecauseIsaythatitmustbeso。WhenIsayso，prayletthatbesufficient。’ButstillDalrymplewentonpainting。
’Conway，’shesaid，’howcanyoutreatmewithsuchdisdain？’
’Disdain，MrsBroughton！’
’Yes，disdain。HaveInotbeggedyoutounderstandthatIcannotallowyoutoremainhere，andyetyoupaynoattentiontomywishes。’
’Ihavedonenow’；andhebegantoputhisbrushesandpaintstogether。
’Isupposeallthesethingsmayremainhere？’
’Yes；theymayremain。Theymustdoso，ofcourse。There；ifyouwillputtheeaselinthecorner，withthecanvasbehindit，theywillnotbeseenifheshouldchancetocomeintotheroom。’
’Hewouldnotbeangry，Isuppose，ifheshouldsawthem？’
’Thereisnoknowing。Menaresounreasonable。Allmenare，Ithink。
AllthosearewhomIhavehadthefortunetoknow。Womengenerallysaythatmenareselfish。Idonotcomplainsomuchthattheyareselfishasthattheyarethoughtless。Theyareheadstronganddonotlookforwardtoresults。Nowyou——Idonotthinkyouwouldwillinglydomeaninjury？’
’IdonotthinkIwould。’
’Iamsureyouwouldnot；——butyetyouwouldforgettosavemefromone。’
’Whatinjury？’
’Oh，nevermind。Iamnotthinkingofanythinginparticular。Frommyself，forinstance。Butwewillnottalkaboutthat。Thatwaymadnesslies。Tellme，Conway；——whatdoyouthinkofClaraVanSiever？’
’Sheisveryhandsome，certainly。’
’Andclever？’
’Decidedlyclever。Ishouldthinkshehasatemperofherown。’
’Whatwomanisthereworthastrawthathasnot？IfClaraVanSieverwereill—used，shewouldresentit。Idonotdoubtthatforamoment。I
shouldnotliketobethemanwhowoulddoit。’
’NorI，either，’saidConway。
’Butthereisplentyoffemininesoftnessinthatcharacter，ifsheweretreatedwithloveandkindness。Conway，ifyouwilltakemyadviceyouwillaskClaraVanSievertobeyourwife。Butperhapsyouhavealready。’
’Who；I？’
’Yes；you。’
’Ihavenotdoneityet，certainly，MrsBroughton。’
’Andwhyshouldyounotdoit？’
’Therearetwoorthreereasons；——butperhapsnoneofanygreatimportance。Doyouknowofnone，MrsBroughton？’
’Iknowofnone，’saidMrsBroughtoninaveryserious——inalmostatragictone；——’ofnonethatshouldweighforamoment。AsfarasIamconcerned，nothingwouldgivememorepleasure。’
’Thatissokindofyou！’
’Imeantobekind。Ido，indeed，Conway。Iknowitwillbebetterforyouthatyoushouldbesettled——verymuchbetter。Anditwillbebetterforme。Idonotmindadmittingthat；——thoughinsayingsoItrustgreatlytoyourgenerositytointerpretmywordsproperly。’
’Ishallnotflattermyself，ifyoumeanthat。’
’Thereisnoquestionofflattery，Conway。Thequestionissimplyoftruthandprudence。Doyounotknowthatitwouldbebetterforyourselfthatyoushouldbemarried？’
’Notunlessacertaingentlemanweretodiefirst，’saidConwayDalrymple，ashedepositedthelastofhispaintingparaphernaliaintherecesswhichhadbeenpreparedforthembyMrsBroughton。
’Conway，howcanyouspeakinthatwicked，wickedway？’
’IcanassurethatIdonotwishthegentlemaninquestiontheslightestharmintheworld。Ifhiswelfaredependedonme，heshouldbesafeastheBankofEngland。’
’Andyouwillnottakemyadvice？’
’Whatadvice？’
’AboutClara？’
’MrsBroughton，matrimonyisaveryimportantthing。’
’Indeed，itis；——oh，whocansayhowimportant！Therewasatime，Conway，whenIthoughtthatyouhadgivenyourhearttoMadelinaDemolines。’
’Heavenforbid！’
’AndIgrieved，becauseIthoughtthatshewasnotworthyofyou。’
’Therewasneveranythinginthat，MrsBroughton。’
’Shethoughtthattherewas。Atanyrate，shesaidso。Iknowthatforcertain。Shetoldmesoherself。Butletthatpass。ClaraVanSieverisineveryrespectverydifferentfromMadalina。Clara，Ithink，isworthyofyou。AndConway——ofcourseitisnotformetodictatetoyou；butthisImusttellyou——’
’Whatmustyoutellme？’
’Iwilltellyounothingmore。IfyoucannotunderstandwhatIhavesaid，youmustbemoredullofcomprehensionthanIbelieveyoutobe。
Nowgo。Whyareyounotgonethishalf—hour？’
’HowcouldIgowhileyouweregivingmeallthisgoodadvice？’
’Ihavenotaskedyoutostay。Gonow，atanyrate。And，remember，Conway，ifthispictureistogoon，Iwillnothaveyouremaininghereaftertheworkisdone。Willyourememberthat？’Andsheheldhimbythehandwhilehedeclaredthathewouldrememberit。
MrsDobbsBroughtonwasnomoreinlovewithConwayDalrymplethanshewasinlovewithKingCharlesonhorsebackatCharingCross。And，overandbeyondtheprotectionwhichcametoherinthecourseofnaturefromimpassionedfeelingsinthisspecialphaseofherlife——andindeed，ifI
maysay，ineveryphaseofherlife——itmustbeacknowledgedonherbehalfthatshedidenjoythatprotectionwhichcomesfromwhatwecallprinciple——thoughtheprinciplewasnotperhapsveryhighofitskind。
MadalinaDemolineshadbeenrightwhenshetalkedofherfriendMaria’sprinciples。DobbsBroughtonhadbeensofarluckyinthatjumpinthedarkwhichhadmadeintakingawifetohimself，thathehadnotfallenuponareallyviciouswoman，oruponawomanofstrongfeeling。IthadcometobethelotofMrsDobbsBroughtontohavesixhours’workeverydayofherlife，Ithinkthattheworkwouldhavebeendonebadly，butthatitwouldhavekeptherfiresfromalldanger。Asitwasshehadnothingtodo。Shehadnochild。Shewasnotgiventomuchreading。Shecouldnotsitwithaneedleinherhandallday。ShehadnoaptitudeforMaymeetings，ortheexcitementofcharitablegoodworks。Lifewithherwasverydull，andshefoundnoamusementwithinherreachsoeasyandsopleasantastheamusementofpretendingtobeinlove。Ifallthatshedidandallthatshesaidcouldonlyhavebeentakenforitsworthandfornothingmore，bythedifferentpersonsconcerned，therewasverylittleinittoflatterMrDalrympleortogivecausefortribulationtoMrBroughton。Sheprobablycaredbutlittleforeitherofthem。Shewasoneofthosewomentowhomitisnotgivenbynaturetocareverymuchforanybody。But，ofthetwo，shecertainlycaredthemostforMrDobbsBroughton——becauseMrDobbsBroughtonbelongedtoher。AstoleavingMrDobbsBroughton’shouse，andputtingherselfintothehandsofanotherman——noImogenofawifewaseverlesslikelytotakestepsowicked，sodangerous，andsogenerallydisagreeabletoallthepartiesconcerned。
ButConwayDalrymple——thoughnowandagainhehadgotasideglanceathertruecharacterwithaclear—seeingeye——didallowhimselftobeflatteredanddeceived。Heknewthatshewasfoolishandignorant，andthatsheoftentalkedwonderfulnonsense。Heknewalsothatshewascontinuallycontradictingherself——aswhenshewouldstrenuouslybeghimtoleaveher，whileshewouldcontinuetotalktohiminastrainthatpreventedthepossibilityofhisgoing。But，nevertheless，hewasflattered，andhedidbelievethatshelovedhim。Astohisloveforher——heknewverywellthatitamountedtonothing。Nowandagain，perhaps，twiceaweek，ifhesawherasoften，hewouldsaysomethingwhichwouldimplyadeclarationofaffection。Hefeltthatasmuchasthatwasexpectedfromhim，andthatheoughtnottohopetogetoffcheaper。AndnowthatthislittleplaywasgoingonaboutMissVanSiever，hedidthinkthatMrsDobbsBroughtonwasdoingherverybesttoovercomeanunfortunateattachment。Itissogratifyingtoayoungman’sfeelingstosupposethatanotherman’swifehasconceivedanunfortunateattachmentforhim！ConwayDalrympleoughtnottohavebeenfooledbysuchawoman；butIfearthathewasfooledbyher。
AshereturnedhometodayfromMrsBroughton’shousetohisownlodgingsherambledoutforawhileintoKensingtonGardens，andthoughtofhispositionseriously。’Idon’tseewhyIshouldnotmarryher，’hesaidtohimself，thinkingofcourseofMissVanSiever。’IfMariaisnotinearnestitisnotmyfault。Anditwouldbemywishthatsheshouldbeinearnest。IfIsupposehertobeso，andtakeheratherword，shecanhavenorighttoquarrelwithme。PoorMaria！Atanyrateitwillbebetterforher，fornogoodcancomeofthiskindofthing。And，byheavens，withawomanlikethat，ofstrongfeelings，oneneverknowswhatmayhappen。’Andthenhethoughtoftheconditionhewouldbein，ifheweretofindhersomefinedayinhisownrooms，andifsheweretotellhimthatshecouldnotgohomeagain，andthatshemeanttoremainwithhim！
InthemeantimeMrsDobbsBroughtonhasgonedownintoherowndrawing—room，hadtuckedherselfuponthesofa，andhadfallenfastasleep。
CHAPTERXXXIX
ANEWFLIRTATION
JohnEamessatathisofficeonthedayafterhisreturntoLondon，andansweredthevariousletterswhichhehadfoundwaitingforhimathislodgingsonthepreviousevening。ToMissDemolineshehadalreadywrittenfromhisclub，asingleline，whichheconsideredtobeappropriatetothemysteriousnecessitiesoftheoccasion。’Iwillbewithyouataquartertosixtomorrow。——JE。Justreturned。’Therewasnotanotherword；andashescrawleditatoneoftheclubtableswhiletwoorthreeothermenweretalkingtohim，hefeltratherproudofhiscorrespondence。’Itwascapitalfun，’hesaid；’andafterall’——the’all’onthisoccasionbeingLilyDale，andthesadnessofhisdisappointmentatAllington——’afterall，letafellowbeeversodowninthemouth，alittleamusementshoulddohimgood。’Andhereflectedfurtherthatthemoreafellowbe’downinthemouth’，themoregoodtheamusementwoulddohim。Hesentoffhisnote，therefore，withsomelittleinwardrejoicing——andawordoftwoalsoofspokenrejoicing。
’Whatfunwomenaresometimes，’hesaidtooneofhisfriends——afriendwithwhomhewasveryintimate，callinghimalwaysFred，andslappinghisback，butwhomheneverbyanychancesawoutofhisclub。
’Whatuptonow，Johnny？Somegoodfortune？’
’Goodfortune，no。Ineversawgoodfortuneofthatkind。ButI’vegotholdofayoungwoman——orratherayoungwomanhasgotholdofme，whoinsistsonhavingmysterywithme。Inthemysteryitselfthereisnottheslightestinterest。Butthemysteriousnessofitischarming。Ihavejustwrittentoherthreewordstosettleanappointmentfortomorrow。
Wedon’tsignournameslestthePostmasterGeneralshouldfindoutaboutit。’
’Isshepretty？’
’Well；——sheisn’tugly。Shehasjustenoughofgoodlookstomakethesortofthingpassoffpleasantly。Amysterywithadownrightuglyyoungwomanwouldbeunpleasant。’
AfterthisfashionthenotefromMissDemolineshadbeenreceived，andansweredatonce，buttheotherlettersremainedinhispockettillhereachedhisofficeonthefollowingmorning。SirRafflehadbeggedhimtobethereathalf—pastnine。Thishehadswornhewouldnotdo；buthedidseathimselfinhisroomattenminutesbeforeten，findingofcoursethewholebuildinguntenantedatthatearlyhour——thatunearthlyhour，asJohnnycalledithimself。’Ishouldn’twonderifhereallyisherethismorning，’Johnnysaid，asheenteredthebuilding，’justthathemayhavetheopportunityofjumpingonme。’ButSirRafflewasnotthere，andthenJohnnybegantoabuseSirRaffle。’IfIevercomehereearlytomeethimagain，becausehesayshemeanstobeherehimself，I
hopeImaybe——blessed。’OnthatespecialmorningitwastwelvebeforeSirRafflemadehisappearance，andJohnnyavengedhimself——Iregrettohavetotellit——byafib。ThatSirRafflefibbedfirst，wasnovalidexcusewhateverforEames。
’I’vebeenatiteversincesixo’clock，’saidSirRaffle。
’Atwhat？’saidJohn。
’Work，tobesure；——andveryhardworktoo。IbelievetheChancelloroftheExchequerthinksthathecancalluponmetoanyextentthathepleases；——justanyextentthathepleases。Hedoesn’tgivemecreditforadesiretohaveasinglehourtomyself。’
’Whatwouldhedo，SirRaffle，ifyouweretogetill，orwearyourselfout？’
’HeknowsI’mnotoneofthewearing—outsortofmen。Yougotmynotelastnight？’
’Yes；Igotyournote。’
’I’msorrythatItroubledyou；butIcouldn’thelpit。Ididn’texpecttogetaboxfullofpapersateleveno’clocklastnight。’
’Youdidn’tputmeout，SirRaffle；Ihappenedtohavebusinessofmyownwhichpreventedthepossibilityofmybeinghereearly。’
ThiswasthewayinwhichJohnEamesavengedhimself。SirRaffleturnedhisfaceuponhisprivatesecretary，andhisfacewasveryblack。Johnnyborethegazewithoutdroppinganeyelid。’I’mnotgoingtostandit，andhemayaswellknowthatatonce，’Johnnysaidtooneofhisfriendsintheofficeafterwards。’Ifheeverwantsanythingreallydone，I’lldoit；——thoughitshouldtakemetwelvehoursatastretch。ButI’mnotgoingtopretendtobelieveallthelieshetellsmeabouttheChancelloroftheExchequer。Ifthatistobepartoftheprivatesecretary’sbusiness，hehadbettergetsomebodyelse。’ButnowSirRafflewasveryangry，andhiscountenancewasfullofwrathashelookeddownuponhissubordinateminister。’IfIhadcomehere，MrEames，andhadfoundyouabsent，Ishouldhavebeenverymuchannoyed，verymuchannoyedindeed，afterhavingwrittenasIdid。’
’Youwouldhavefoundmeabsentatthehouryounamed。AsIwasn’ttherethen，Ithinkit’sonlyfairtosayso。’
’I’mafraidyoubegrudgeyourtimetotheservice，MrEames。’
’Idobegrudgeitwhentheservicedoesn’twantit。’
’Atyourage，MrEames，that’snotforyoutojudge。IfIhadactedinthatwaywhenIwasyoungIshouldneverhavefilledthepositionInowhold。IalwaysrememberedinthosedaysthatasIwasthehandandnotthehead，Iwasboundtoholdmyselfinreadinesswhetherworkmightberequiredofmeornot。’
’IfI’mwantedashandnow，SirRaffle，I’mready。’
’That’sallverywell；——butwhywereyounothereatthehourInamed？’
’Well，SirRaffle，IcannotsaythattheChancelloroftheExchequerdetainedme；——buttherewasbusiness。AsI’vebeenhereforthelasttwohours，Iamhappytothinkthatinthisinstancethepublicservicewillnothavesufferedbymydisobedience。’
SirRafflewasstillstandingwithhishaton，andwithhisbacktothefire，andhiscountenancewasfullofwrath。ItwasonhistonguetotellJohnnythathehadbetterreturntohisformerworkintheouteroffice。Hegreatlywantedthecomfortofaprivatesecretarywhowouldbelieveinhim——oratleastpretendtobelieveinhim。Therearemenwho，thoughtheyhavenotsenseenoughtobetrue，haveneverthelesssenseenoughtoknowthattheycannotexpecttobereallybelievedinbythosewhoarenearenoughtothemtoknowthem。SirRaffleBufflewassuchaone。Hewouldhavegreatlydelightedintheservicesofsomeonewhowouldtrusthimimplicitly——ofsomeyoungmanwhowouldreallybelieveallthathesaidofhimselfandoftheChancelloroftheExchequer；buthewaswiseenoughtoperceivethatnosuchyoungmanwastobehad；orthatanysuchman——couldsuchaonebefound——wouldbeabsolutelyuselessforanypurposesofwork。Heknewhimselftobealiarwhomnobodytrusted。Andheknewhimselfalsotobeabully——thoughhecouldnotthinksolowofhimselfastobelievethathewasabullywhomnobodyfeared。Aprivatesecretarywasattheleastboundtopretendtobelieveinhim。Thereisadecencyinsuchthings，andthatdecencyJohnEamesdidnotobserve。HethoughtthathemustgetridofJohnEames，inspiteofcertainattractionswhichbelongedtoJohnny’sappearanceandgeneralmanners，andsocialstanding，andreputedwealth。
Butitwouldnotbewisetopunishamanonthespotforbreakinganappointmentwhichhehimselfhadnotkept，andthereforehewouldwaitforanotheropportunity。’Youhadbettergotoyourownroomnow，’hesaid。’IamengagedonamatterconnectedwiththeTreasury，inwhichI
willnotaskforyourassistance。’HeknewthatEameswouldnotbelieveawordastowhathesaidabouttheTreasury——notevensomeverytriflingbaseoftruthwhichdidexist；buttheboastgavehimanopportunityofputtinganendtotheinterviewafterhisownfashion。
ThenJohnEameswenttohisownroomandansweredtheletterswhichhehadinhispocket。
Totheclubdinnerhewouldnotgo。’What’stheuseofpayingtwoguineasforadinnerwithfellowsyouseeeverydayofyourlife？’hesaid。ToLadyGlencora’shewouldgo，andhewrotealinetohisfriendDalrympleproposingthattheyshouldgotogether。AndhewoulddinewithhiscousinToogoodinTavistockSquare。’Onemeetsthequeerestpeopleintheworldthere，’hesaid；’butTommyToogoodissuchagoodfellowhimself！’Afterthathehadhislunch。Thenhereadthepaper，andbeforehewentawayhewroteadozenortwoofprivatenotes，presentingSirRaffle’scomplimentsrightandleft，andgivinginnoonenoteasinglewordofinformationthatcouldbeofanyusetoanyperson。
Havingthusearnedhissalarybyhalf—pastfouro’clockhegotintoahansomcabandhadhimselfdriventoPorchesterTerrace。MissDemolineswasathome，ofcourse，andhesoonfoundhimselfclosetedwiththatinterestingyoungwoman。
’Ithoughtyouneverwouldhavecome。’Thesewerethefirstwordsshespoke。
’MydearMissDemolines，youmustnotforgetthatIhavemybreadtoearn。’
’Fiddlesticks！——Bread！AsifIdidn’tknowthatyoucangetawayfromyourofficewhenyouchoose。’
’But，indeed，Icannot。’
’Whatistheretopreventyou，MrEames？’
’I’mnottieduplikeadog，certainly；butwhodoyousupposewilldomyworkifIdonotdoitmyself？Itisafact，thoughtheworlddoesnotbelieveit，thatmeninpublicofficeshavesomethingtodo。’
’Nowyouarelaughingatme，Iknow；butyouarewelcome，ifyoulikeit。It’sthewayoftheworldjustatpresentthatladiesshouldsubmittothatsortofthingfromgentlemen。’
’Whatsortofthing，MissDemolines？’
’Chaff，asyoucallit。Courtesyisoutoffashion，andgallantryhascometosignifyquiteadifferentkindofthingfromwhatitusedtodo。’
’TheSirCharlesGrandisonbusinessisdoneandgone。That’swhatyoumean，Isuppose？Don’tyouthinkweshouldfinditveryheavyifwetriedtogetitbackagain？’
’I’mnotgoingtoaskyoutobeaSirCharlesGrandison，MrEames。Butnevermindallthatnow。Doyouknowthatthatgirlhasabsolutelyhadherfirstsittingforthepicture？’
’Hasshe，indeed？’
’Shehas。Youmaytakemywordforit。Iknowitasafact。Whatafoolthatyoungmanis！’
’Whichyoungman？’
’Whichyoungman！ConwayDalrympletobesure。Artistsarealwaysweak。Ofallmenintheworldtheyarethemostsubjecttoflatteryfromwomen；andweallknowthatConwayDalrympleisveryvain。’
’UponmywordIdidn’tknowit，’saidJohnny。
’Yes，youdo。Youmustknowit。Whenamangoesaboutinapurplevelvetcoatofcourseheisvain。’
’Icertainlycannotdefendapurplevelvetcoat。’
’Thatiswhatheworewhenthisgirlsattohimthismorning。’
’Thismorningwasit？’
’Yes，thismorning。Theylittlethinkthatthecandonothingwithoutmyknowingit。Hewastherefornearlyfourhours，andshewasdressedupinawhiterobeasJael，withaturbanonherhead。Jaelindeed！I
callitveryimproper，andIamquiteastonishedthatMariaClutterbuckshouldhavelentherselftosuchapieceofwork。ThatMariawasneververywise，ofcourseweallknow；butIthoughtthatshehadprincipleenoughtohavekeptherfromthiskindofthing。’
’It’sherfeveredexistence，’saidJohnny。
’That’sjustit。Shemusthaveexcitement。Itislikedram—drinking。
Andthen，youknow，theyarealwayslivinginthecraterofavolcano。’
’Whoarelivinginthecraterofavolcano？’
’TheDobbsBroughtonsare。Ofcoursetheyare。Thereisnosayingwhatdayasmashmaycome。TheyCitypeoplegetsousedtoitthattheyenjoyit。Theriskiseverythingtothem。’
’Theyliketohavealittlecertaintybehindtherisk，Ifancy。’
’I’mafraidthereisverylittlethat’scertainwithDobbsBroughton。
Butaboutthispicture，MrEames。Ilooktoyoutoassistmethere。Itmustbeputastopto。AstothatIamdetermined。Itmustbe——puta——stopto。’AndasMissDemolinesrepeatedtheselastwordswithatremendousemphasissheleantwithbothherelbowsonalittletablethatstoodbetweenherandhervisitor，andlookedwithallhereyesintohisface。’Idohopethatyouagreewithmeinthat，’saidshe。
’UponmywordIdonotseetheharmofthepicture，’saidhe。
’Youdonot？’
’Indeedno。WhyshouldnotDalrymplepaintMissVanSieveraswellasanyotherlady？Itishisspecialbusinesstopaintladies。’
’Lookher，MrEames——’AndnowMissDemolines，asshespokedrewherownseatclosertothatofhercompanionandpushedawaythelittletable。
’DoyousupposethatConwayDalrymple，intheusualwayofhisbusiness，paintspicturesofyoungladiesofwhichtheirmothersknownothing？Doyousupposethathepaintstheminladies’roomswithouttheirhusbands’
knowledge？Andinthecommonwayofhisbusinessdoeshenotexpecttobepaidforhispictures？’
’Butwhatisallthattoyouandme，MissDemolines？’
’Isthewelfareofyourfriendnothingtoyou？WouldyouliketoseehimbecomethevictimoftheartificeofsuchagirlasClaraVanSiever？’
’UponmywordIthinkheisverywellabletotakecareofhimself。’
’Andwouldyouwishtoseethatpoorcreature’sdomestichearthruinedandbrokenup？’
’Whichpoorcreature？’
’DobbsBroughton，tobesure。’
’Ican’tpretendthatIcareverymuchforDobbsBroughton，’saidJohnEames；’andyouseeIknowsolittleabouthisdomestichearth。’
’Oh，MrEames！’
’Besides，herprincipleswillpullherthrough。YoutoldmeyourselfthatMrsDobbsBroughtonhadhighprinciples。’
’GodforbidthatIshouldsayawordagainstMariaClutterbuck，’saidMissDemolinesfervently。’MariaClutterbuckwasmyearlyfriend，andthoughwordshavebeenspokenwhichnevershouldhavebeenspoken，andthoughthingshavebeendonewhichnevershouldhavebeendreamedof，stillIwillnotdesertMariaClutterbuckinherhourofneed。No，never！’
’I’msureyou’rewhatonemaycallatrumptoyourfriends，MissDemolines。’
’Ihaveendeavouredtobeso，andalwaysshall。Youwillfindmeso；——thatisifyouandIeverbecomeintimateenoughtofeelthatsortoffriendship。’
’ThereisnothingonearthIshouldlikebetter，’saidJohnny。Assoonasthesewordswereoutofhismouth，hefeltashamedofhimself。HeknewthathedidnotintruthdesirethefriendshipofMissDemolines，andthatanyfriendshipwithsuchaonewouldmeansomethingdifferentfromfriendship——somethingthatwouldbeaninjurytoLilyDale。Aweekhadhardlypassedsincehehadswornalife’sconstancytoLilyDale——hadswornit，nottoheronly，buttohimself；andnowhewasgivingwaytoaflirtationwiththiswoman，notbecausehelikedithimself，butbecausehewastooweaktokeepoutofit。’
’Ifthatistrue——’saidMissDemolines。