. Lady Limpenny, therefore, indulged all her whims
freely. Her most abiding or most often recurring whim was an anxiety for
the salvation of her soul; but she had passionate flirtations meanwhile
with china, poetry, flowers, private theatricals, lady-helps, and other
pastimes and questions of the hour.

"You'll never part with that china," Mr. Money said--"you know you
can't."

"Oh, but my dear Money, you don't understand my feelings. You are not,
you know--an old friend may say so--you are not a religious man. You
have not been penetrated by what I call religion--not yet, I mean."

"Not yet, certainly. Well, why don't you send to Christie and Manson's
at once?"

"But, my dear Money, to part with my china in _that_ way--to have it
sent all about the world perhaps. Oh, no! I want to part with it to
some friend who will let me come and see it now and again."

"Have you thought of this, Lady Limpenny? Suppose, when you have sold
it, you go to see it now and then, and covet it--covet your neighbor's
goods--perhaps long even to steal it. Where is the spiritual improvement
then?"

"Money! You shock me! You horrify me! Could that be possible? Is there
such weakness in human nature?"

"Quite possible, I assure you. You have been yourself describing the
influence of these unregulated likings. How do you know that they may
not get the better of you in another way? Take my advice, and keep your
china. It will do you less harm in your own possession than in that of
anybody else."

"If I could think so, my dear Money."

"Think it over, my dear Lady Limpenny; look at it from this point of
view, and let me know your decision--then we can talk about it again."

Lady Limpenny relapsed for a while into reflection, with a doubtful and
melancholy expression upon her face. Money, however, had gained his
point, or, as he would himself have expressed it, "choked her off" for
the moment.

"I don't like your new friend," said Minola to Victor.

"My new friend? Who's he?"

"Your friend Mr. St. Paul."

"Oh, he isn't a new friend, or a friend at all. He is rather an old
acquaintance, if anything."

"Well, I don't like him."

"Nor I. Don't let yourself be drawn into much talk with him."

"No? Then there _is_ somebody you don't like, Mr. Heron. That's a
healthy sign. I really thought you liked all men and all women, without
exception."

"Well, I am not good at disliking people, but I don't like _him_, and I
didn't like to se