ss Bernardstone alter,
Lady Emily alter, and every one alter? It would be _wrong_ in him to
marry Joscelind in so changed a world;--a moment's consideration would
certainly assure me of that. He could no longer carry out his part of
the bargain, and the transaction must stop before it went any further.
If Joscelind knew, she would be the first to recognize this, and the
thing for her now was to know.

"Go and tell her, then, if you are so sure of it," I said. "I wonder you
have put it off so many days."

He looked at me with a melancholy eye. "Of course I know it's beastly
awkward."

It was beastly awkward certainly; there I could quite agree with him,
and this was the only sympathy he extracted from me. It was impossible
to be less helpful, less merciful, to an embarrassed young man than
I was on that occasion. But other occasions followed very quickly, on
which Mr. Tester renewed his appeal with greater eloquence. He assured
me that it was torture to be with his intended, and every hour that he
did n't break off committed him more deeply and more fatally. I repeated
only once my previous question,--asked him only once why then he did n't
tell her he had changed his mind. The inquiry was idle, was even unkind,
for my young man was in a very tight place. He did n't tell her, simply
because he could n't, in spite of the anguish of feeling that his chance
to right himself was rapidly passing away. When I asked him if Joscelind
appeared to have guessed nothing, he broke out, "How in the world can
she guess, when I am so kind to her? I am so sorry for her, poor little
wretch, that I can't help being nice to her. And from the moment I am
nice to her she thinks it's all right."

I could see perfectly what he meant by that, and I liked him more for
this little generosity than I disliked him for his nefarious scheme.
In fact, I did n't dislike him at all when I saw what an influence my
judgment would have on him. I very soon gave him the full benefit of
it. I had thought over his case with all the advantages of his own
presentation of it, and it was impossible for me to see how he could
decently get rid of the girl. That, as I have said, had been my original
opinion, and quickened reflection only confirmed it. As I have also
said, I had n't in the least recommended him to become engaged; but once
he had done so I recommended him to abide by it. It was all very well
being in love with Lady Vandeleur; he might be in love with