ant, and, I will add, most conclusive. You have not endeavoured
to explain them to me in detail; I trust you felt that I was not so dull
of understanding as to be incapable of--of appreciating motives when
sufficiently indicated. Situations of this kind are _never_ to be
explained grossly; I mean, of course, in the case of men of intellect.
I flatter myself that I have come to know your ruling principles; and I
will say that beyond a doubt your behaviour has been most honourable.
Of course I was mistaken in trying to convey this to those I talked with
last night; they misinterpreted me, and I might have expected it. We
cannot give them the moral feelings which they lack. But I am glad that
the error has so quickly come to light. A mere word from you, and such a
delusion goes no farther. I regret it extremely.'

Mutimer held the letter in his hand, and kept looking from it to the
speaker. Keene's subtleties were not very intelligible to him, but, even
with a shrewd suspicion that he was being humbugged, he could not resist
a sense of pleasure in hearing himself classed with the superior men
whose actions are not to be explained by the vulgar. Nay, he asked
himself whether the defence was not in fact a just one. After all, was
it not possible that his conduct had been praiseworthy? He recovered the
argument by which he had formerly tried to silence disagreeable inner
voices; a man in his position owed it to society to effect a union of
classes, and private feeling must give way before the higher motive. He
reflected for a moment when Keene ceased to speak.

'What did you say?' he then asked, still bluntly, but with less anger.
'Just tell me the words, as far as you can remember.'

Keene was at no loss to recall inoffensive phrases; in another long
speech, full of cajolery sufficiently artful for the occasion,
he represented himself as having merely protested against
misrepresentations obviously sharpened by malice.

'It is just possible that I made some reference to her _character_,' he
admitted, speaking more slowly, and as if desirous that no word
should escape his hearer; 'but it did not occur to me to guard against
misunderstandings of the word. I might have remembered that it has such
different meanings on the lips of educated and of uneducated men. You,
of course, would never have missed my thoughts.'

'If I might suggest,' he added, when Mutimer kept silence, I think, if
you condescend to notice the letter at a