that sort. Your
Lady Mabel Grex is not here. Why wouldn't she come?"

"Perhaps you didn't ask her."

"Oh yes I did;--especially for your sake."

"She is not my Lady Mabel Grex," said Lord Silverbridge with
unnecessary energy.

"But she will be."

"What makes you think that?"

"You are devoted to her."

"Much more to you, Miss Boncassen."

"That is nonsense, Lord Silverbridge."

"Not at all."

"It is also--untrue."

"Surely I must be the best judge of that myself."

"Not a doubt; a judge not only whether it be true, but if true
whether expedient,--or even possible. What did I say to you when we
first began to know each other?"

"What did you say?"

"That I liked knowing you;--that was frank enough;--that I liked
knowing you because I knew that there would be no tomfoolery of
love-making." Then she paused; but he did not quite know how to go on
with the conversation at once, and she continued her speech. "When
you condescend to tell me that you are devoted to me, as though
that were the kind of thing that I expect to have said when I take
a walk with a young man in a wood, is not that the tomfoolery of
love-making?" She stopped and looked at him, so that he was obliged
to answer.

"Then why do you ask me if I am devoted to Lady Mabel? Would not that
be tomfoolery too?"

"No. If I thought so, I would not have asked the question. I did
specially invite her to come here because I thought you would like
it. You have got to marry somebody."

"Some day, perhaps."

"And why not her?"

"If you come to that, why not you?" He felt himself to be getting
into deep waters as he said this,--but he had a meaning to express if
only he could find the words to express it. "I don't say whether it
is tomfoolery, as you call it, or not; but whatever it is, you began
it."

"Yes;--yes. I see. You punish me for my unpremeditated impertinence
in suggesting that you are devoted to Lady Mabel by the premeditated
impertinence of pretending to be devoted to me."

"Stop a moment. I cannot follow that." Then she laughed. "I will
swear that I did not intend to be impertinent."

"I hope not."

"I am devoted to you."

"Lord Silverbridge!"

"I think you are--"

"Stop, stop. Do not say it."

"Well I won't;--not now. But there has been no tomfoolery."

"May I ask a question, Lord Silverbridge? You will not be angry? I
would not have you angry with me."

"I will not be angry," he said.

"Are you not engaged to ma