fair."

Lush's tone had gradually become more and more unctuous in its
friendliness of remonstrance, and he was almost in danger of forgetting
that he was merely gambling in argument. When he left off, Grandcourt
took his cigar out of his mouth, and looking steadily at the moist end
while he adjusted the leaf with his delicate finger-tips, said--

"I knew before that you had an objection to my marrying Miss Harleth."
Here he made a little pause before he continued. "But I never
considered that a reason against it."

"I never supposed you did," answered Lush, not unctuously but dryly.
"It was not _that_ I urged as a reason. I should have thought it might
have been a reason against it, after all your experience, that you
would be acting like the hero of a ballad, and making yourself
absurd--and all for what? You know you couldn't make up your mind
before. It's impossible you can care much about her. And as for the
tricks she is likely to play, you may judge of that from what you heard
at Leubronn. However, what I wished to point out to you was, that there
can be no shilly-shally now."

"Perfectly," said Grandcourt, looking round at Lush and fixing him with
narrow eyes; "I don't intend that there should be. I dare say it's
disagreeable to you. But if you suppose I care a damn for that you are
most stupendously mistaken."

"Oh, well," said Lush, rising with his hands in his pockets, and
feeling some latent venom still within him, "if you have made up your
mind!--only there's another aspect of the affair. I have been speaking
on the supposition that it was absolutely certain she would accept you,
and that destitution would have no choice. But I am not so sure that
the young lady is to be counted on. She is kittle cattle to shoe, I
think. And she had her reasons for running away before." Lush had moved
a step or two till he stood nearly in front of Grandcourt, though at
some distance from him. He did not feel himself much restrained by
consequences, being aware that the only strong hold he had on his
present position was his serviceableness; and even after a quarrel the
want of him was likely sooner or later to recur. He foresaw that
Gwendolen would cause him to be ousted for a time, and his temper at
this moment urged him to risk a quarrel.

"She had her reasons," he repeated more significantly.

"I had come to that conclusion before," said Grandcourt, with
contemptuous irony.

"Yes, but I hardly think you know wha