himself,
and could work no sort of harm. If he never ventured to hint these
feelings to his wife, he was still further from confessing them to Lily;
but once he approached the subject with Hoskins in a well-guarded
generality relating to the different kinds of sensibility developed by
the European and American civilization. A recent suicide for love which
excited all Venice at that time--an Austrian officer hopelessly
attached to an Italian girl had shot himself--had suggested their talk,
and given fresh poignancy to the misgivings in Elmore's mind.

"Well," said Hoskins, "those Dutch are queer. They don't look at women
as respectfully as we do, and they mix up so much cabbage with their
romance that you don't know exactly how to take them; and yet here you
find this fellow suffering just as much as a white man because the
girl's folks won't let her have him. In fact, I don't know but he
suffered more than the average American citizen. I think we have a great
deal more common sense in our love-affairs. We respect women more than
any other people, and I think we show them more true politeness; we let
'em have their way more, and get their finger into the pie right along,
and it's right we should: but we don't make fools of ourselves about
them, as a general rule. We know they're awfully nice, and they know we
know it; and it's a perfectly understood thing all round. We've been
used to each other all our lives, and they're just as sensible as we
are. They like a fellow, when they do like him, about as well as any of
'em; but they know he's a man and a brother after all, and he's got ever
so much human nature in him. Well, now, I reckon one of these Dutch
chaps, the first time he gets a chance to speak with a pretty girl,
thinks he's got hold of a goddess, and I suppose the girl feels just so
about him. Why, it's natural they should,--they've never had any chance
to know any better, and your feelings _are_ apt to get the upper hand of
you, at such times, anyway. I don't blame 'em. One of 'em goes off and
shoots himself, and the other one feels as if she was never going to get
over it. Well, now, look at the way Miss Lily acted in that little
business of hers: one of these girls over here would have had her head
completely turned by that adventure; but when she couldn't see her way
exactly clear, she puts the case in your hands, and then stands by what
you do, as calm as a clock."

"It was a very perplexing thing. I did th