ure
the sight of the room ever since. If you'll believe me, I can't."

"It was not a pleasant occurrence," said Robinson. "I felt it very
keenly. A man's motives are so vilely misconstrued, Miss Twizzle. I
have been accused of--of--cowardice."

"Not by me, Mr. Robinson. I did say you should have stuck up a bit;
but I didn't mean anything like that."

"Well; it's over now. When are they to be married, Miss Twizzle?"

"Now, Mr. Robinson, don't you talk like that. You wouldn't take it
all calm that way if you thought she was going to have him."

"I mean to take it very calm for the future."

"But I suppose you're not going to give her up. It wouldn't be like
you, that wouldn't."

"She has spurned me, Miss Twizzle; and after that--."

"Oh, spurn! that's all my eye. Of course she has. There's a little of
that always, you know,--just for the fun of the thing. The course of
love shouldn't run too smooth. I wouldn't give a straw for a young
man if he wouldn't let me spurn him sometimes."

"But you wouldn't call him a--a--"

"A what? A coward, is it? Indeed but I would, or anything else that
came uppermost. Laws! what's the good of keeping company if you ain't
to say just what comes uppermost at the moment. 'Twas but the other
day I called my young man a raskil."

"It was in sport, no doubt."

"I was that angry at the time I could have tore him limb from limb;
I was, indeed. But he says, 'Polly,' says he, 'if I'm a he-raskil,
you're a she-raskil; so that needn't make any difference between us.'
And no more it didn't. He gets his salary rose in January, and then
we shall be married."

"I wish you all the happiness that married life can bestow," said
Robinson.

"That's very prettily said, and I wish the same to you. Only you
mustn't be so down like. There's Maryanne; she says you haven't a
word for her now."

"She'll find as many words as she likes in Aldersgate Street, no
doubt."

"Now, Robinson, if you're going to go on like that, you are not
the man I always took you for. You didn't suppose that a girl like
Maryanne isn't to have her bit of fun as long as it lasts. Them as
is as steady as old horses before marriage usually has their colt's
fling after marriage. Maryanne's principles is good, and that's
everything;--ain't it?"

"I impute nothing to Miss Brown, except that she is false, and
mercenary, and cruel."

"Exactly; just a she-raskil, as Tom called me. I was mercenary and
all the rest of it. But,