ay, he was not found to be a
lively companion either by Cox or Pepper. The lieutenant was talking
about Neefit and Neefit's daughter all day: but Mr. Pepper, who was
more discreet, declined to canvass the subject. "It's nothing to me
who a man marries and who he don't," said Mr. Pepper. "What sort of
horses he rides;--that's what I look at." During this day and the
next Ralph did consider the state of his affairs very closely, and
the conclusion he came to was this, that the sooner he could engage
himself to marry Mary Bonner the better. If he were once engaged, the
engagement would not then be broken off because of any previous folly
with Miss Neefit; and, again, if he were once engaged to Mary Bonner,
Neefit would see the absurdity of torturing him further in regard
to Polly. On the Wednesday evening he went up to town, and on the
Thursday morning he put himself into a cab and ordered the man to
drive him to Popham Villa.

It was about noon when he started from town; and though he never
hesitated,--did not pause for a moment after he had made up his mind
as to the thing that he would do, still he felt many misgivings as
he was driven down to Fulham. How should he begin his story to Mary
Bonner, and how should he look Clary Underwood in the face? And yet
he had not an idea that he was in truth going to behave badly to
Clarissa. There had no doubt been a sort of tenderness in the feeling
that had existed between them,--a something just a little warmer than
brotherly regard. They had been thrown together and had liked each
other. And as he was driven nearer to the villa, he remembered
distinctly that he had kissed her on the lawn. But did any one
suppose that a man was bound to marry the first girl he kissed,--or
if not the first, then why the second, or the third? Clarissa could
have no fair ground of complaint against him; and yet he was uneasy
as he reflected that she too must know the purport of his present
visit to the villa.

And he was not quite easy about Mary. The good things which he
carried in his hand were so many that he did not conceive that Mary
would refuse him; but yet he wished that the offer had been made, and
had been accepted. Hitherto he had taken pleasure in his intercourse
with young ladies, and had rather enjoyed the excitement of those
moments which to some men are troublesome and even painful. When
he had told Clarissa that she was dearer than any one else, he had
been very happy while he wa