inine nature's bosom to rise in surges. The declarations of her
devotedness to the man waken comparisons with a deeper, a longer-tried
suffering. Actually the letter of the rising star assumes personal
feeling to have died out of the abandoned luminary, and personal feeling
is chafed to its acutest edge by the perusal; contempt also of one who
can stupidly simulate such innocence, is roused.

Among Alvan's gifts the understanding of women did not rank high. He was
too robust, he had been too successful. Your very successful hero regards
them as nine-pins destined to fall, the whole tuneful nine, at a peculiar
poetical twist of the bowler's wrist, one knocking down the
other--figuratively, for their scruples, or for their example with their
sisters. His tastes had led him into the avenues of success, and as he
had not encountered grand resistances, he entertained his opinion of
their sex. The particular maxim he cherished was, to stake everything on
his making a favourable first impression: after which single figure, he
said, all your empty naughts count with women for hundreds, thousands,
millions: noblest virtues are but sickly units. He would have stared like
any Philistine at the tale of their capacity to advance to a likeness
unto men in their fight with the world. Women for him were objects to be
chased, the politician's relaxation, taken like the sportsman's business,
with keen relish both for the pursuit and the prey, and a view of the
termination of his pastime. Their feelings he could appreciate during the
time when they flew and fell, perhaps a little longer; but the change in
his own feelings withdrew him from the communion of sentiment. This is
the state of men who frequent the avenues of success. At present he was
thinking of a wife, and he approved the epistle to the baroness
cordially.

'I do think it a nice kind of letter, and quite humble enough,' said
Clotilde.

He agreed, 'Yes, yes: she knows already that this is really serious with
me.'

So much for the baroness.

Now for their parting. A parting that is no worse than the turning of a
page to a final meeting is made light of, but felt. Reason is all in our
favour, and yet the gods are jealous of the bliss of mortals; the slip
between the cup and the lip is emotionally watched for, even though it be
not apprehended, when the cup trembles for very fulness. Clotilde
required reassuring and comforting: 'I am certain you will prevail; you
must; you