d.
It would be flattering you and myself to call it wrong."

"Why?"

"Because that would imply you were serious."

"Would it be wrong if I were?"

"Well, it would be generally considered so, under the circumstances."

"I don't care about that. I have endured it long enough. Oh, Claudia!
don't you see?"

"I suppose so," thought Claudia, "I ought to crush him at this point. I
think I'll wait a little bit, though."

"See what?" she said.

"Why, that--that--"

"Well?"

"Hang it! why is it always so abominably absurd? Why, that I love the
ground you tread on, Claudia? Is this wretched thing to keep us apart!"

"Mr. Lane, you're magnificent; but isn't there a trifling assumption in
your last remark?"

"How?"

"Well, you seemed--perhaps you didn't mean it--to imply that only that
'wretched thing' kept _us_ apart. That's rather taking me for granted,
isn't it?"

"Ah! you know I didn't mean it. But if things were different, could
you--"

"A conditional proposal is a new fashion. Is that one of Sir Roderick's
ideas?"

Eugene was at last angry. He was silent for a moment. Then he said:

"I see. I must congratulate you."

"On what?"

"On having bagged a brace--without accident to yourself. But I have had
enough of it."

And without waiting for a reply to this very rude speech, he rose and
flung himself across the lawn into the house.

Claudia seemed less angry than she ought to have been. She sat with a
little smile for a moment, then she threw her hat in the air and caught
it, then lay back, sighed gently, and murmured:

"Heigho! a brace means two, doesn't it? Who's the other? Oh! Mr.
Haddington, I suppose. I didn't think he knew. Poor Eugene! He's very
angry, or he'd never have been so rude. 'Bagged a brace!'"

And she actually laughed again, and then said "Heigho!" again.

Just at this moment Ayre came up the drive, looking very hot and very
disgusted. Seeing Claudia, he came and sat down.

"Bob's rat-hunting's a mere fraud," he said. "I was there half an hour,
and we only bagged a brace."

"What a curious coincidence!" exclaimed Claudia.

"How a coincidence!"

"Oh, nothing. Bagging a brace means killing two, doesn't it?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Oh, I wanted to know."

Ayre looked at her.

"Where's Eugene?"

"He was here just now, but he's gone into the house."

Ayre stroked his mustache meditatively.

"Did you want him?"

"No, not particularly. I thought I should find him here."

"Yo