mentary;--indeed you are. To
everybody! I am everybody,--am I? That is your idea of--friendship!
You may be sure that after that I shall ask no further questions."

"I didn't mean it in the way you've taken it, Madalina."

"In what way did you mean it, sir? Everybody! Mr. Eames, you must
excuse me if I say that I am not well enough this evening to bear the
company of--everybody. I think you had better leave me. I think that
you had better go."

"Are you angry with me?"

"Yes, I am,--very angry. Because I have condescended to feel an
interest in your welfare, and have asked you a question which I
thought that our intimacy justified, you tell me that that is a kind
of thing that you will not talk about to--everybody. I beg you to
understand that I will not be your everybody. Mr. Eames, there is the
door."

Things had now become very serious. Hitherto Johnny had been seated
comfortably in the corner of a sofa, and had not found himself bound
to move, though Miss Demolines was standing before him. But now it
was absolutely necessary that he should do something. He must either
go, or else he must make entreaty to be allowed to remain. Would it
not be expedient that he should take the lady at her word and escape?
She was still pointing to the door, and the way was open to him. If
he were to walk out now of course he would never return, and there
would be the end of the Bayswater romance. If he remained it might
be that the romance would become troublesome. He got up from his
seat, and had almost resolved that he would go. Had she not somewhat
relaxed the majesty of her anger as he rose, had the fire of her eye
not been somewhat quenched and the lines of her mouth softened, I
think that he would have gone. The romance would have been over, and
he would have felt it had come to an inglorious end; but it would
have been well for him that he should have gone. Though the fire was
somewhat quenched and the lines were somewhat softened, she was still
pointing to the door. "Do you mean it?" he said.

"I do mean it,--certainly."

"And this is to be the end of everything?"

"I do not know what you mean by everything. It is a very little
everything to you, I should say. I do not quite understand your
everything and your everybody."

"I will go, if you wish me to go, of course."

"I do wish it."

"But before I go, you must permit me to excuse myself. I did not
intend to offend you. I merely meant--"

"You merely meant! G