ss even the initiatory gates
of Islington. He was a good young man, at peace with all the
world--except Mr Startup. With Mr Startup the veracious chronicler
does not dare to assert that Mr Frigidy was at peace. Now Mr Startup
was the other young man whom Miss Mackenzie saw in that room.

Mr Startup was also a very good young man, but he was of a fiery
calibre, whereas Frigidy was naturally mild. Startup was already an
open-air preacher, whereas Frigidy lacked nerve to speak a word above
his breath. Startup was not a clergyman because certain scruples
impeded and prevented him, while in the bosom of Frigidy there
existed no desire so strong as that of having the word reverend
attached to his name. Startup, though he was younger than Frigidy,
could talk to seven ladies at once with ease, but Frigidy could not
talk to one without much assistance from that lady herself. The
consequence of this was that Mr Frigidy could not bring himself to
love Mr Startup,--could not enable himself to justify a veracious
chronicler in saying that he was at peace with all the world, Startup
included.

The ladies were too many for Miss Mackenzie to notice them specially
as she sat listening to Mr Maguire's impressive voice. Mr Maguire she
did notice, and found him to be the possessor of a good figure, of
a fine head of jet black hair, of a perfect set of white teeth, of
whiskers which were also black and very fine, but streaked here and
there with a grey hair,--and of the most terrible squint in his right
eye which ever disfigured a face that in all other respects was
fitted for an Apollo. So egregious was the squint that Miss Mackenzie
could not keep herself from regarding it, even while Mr Stumfold
was expounding. Had she looked Mr Maguire full in the face at the
beginning, I do not think it would so much have mattered to her; but
she had seen first the back of his head, and then his profile, and
had unfortunately formed a strong opinion as to his almost perfect
beauty. When, therefore, the defective eye was disclosed to her, her
feelings were moved in a more than ordinary manner. How was it that a
man graced with such a head, with such a mouth and chin and forehead,
nay, with such a left eye, could be cursed with such a right eye! She
was still thinking of this when the frisky movement into the tea-room
took place around her.

When at this moment Mr Stumfold offered her his arm to conduct her
through the folding doors, this condescensi