egging him to start. He did not even thank me. Ajax soon wore one of
Janet's collars, like two or three other of the Riversley dogs, and I had
the satisfaction of hearing Temple accept my grandfather's invitation for
a further fortnight. And, meanwhile, I was the one who was charged with
going about looking lovelorn! I smothered my feelings and my reflections
on the wisdom of people.

At last my aunt Dorothy found the means of setting me at liberty on the
road to London. We had related to her how Captain Bulsted toasted Julia
Rippenger, and we had both declared in joke that we were sure the captain
wished to be introduced to her. My aunt reserved her ideas on the
subject, but by-and-by she proposed to us to ride over to Julia, and
engage her to come and stay at Riversley for some days. Kissing me, my
aunt said, 'She was my Harry's friend when he was an outcast.'

The words revived my affection for Julia. Strong in the sacred sense of
gratitude, I turned on Temple, reproaching him with selfish forgetfulness
of her good heart and pretty face. Without defending himself, as he might
have done, he entreated me to postpone our journey for a day; he and
Janet had some appointment. Here was given me a noble cause and matter I
need not shrink from speaking of. I lashed Temple in my aunt's presence
with a rod of real eloquence that astonished her, and him, and myself
too; and as he had a sense of guilt not quite explicable in his mind, he
consented to bear what was in reality my burden; for Julia had
distinguished me and not him with all the signs of affection, and of the
two I had the more thoroughly forgotten her; I believe Temple was first
in toasting her at Squire Gregory's table. There is nothing like a
pent-up secret of the heart for accumulating powers of speech; I mean in
youth. The mental distilling process sets in later, and then you have
irony instead of eloquence. From brooding on my father, and not daring to
mention his name lest I should hear evil of it, my thoughts were a proud
family, proud of their origin, proud of their isolation,--and not to be
able to divine them was for the world to confess itself basely beneath
their level. But, when they did pour out, they were tremendous, as Temple
found. This oratorical display of mine gave me an ascendancy over him. He
adored eloquence, not to say grandiloquence: he was the son of a
barrister. 'Let 's go and see her at once, Richie,' he said of Julia. 'I
'm ready to be o