despite its manginess, contributed by far
the greater share to his income.

Charlotte put her question simply enough. The man did not answer her
directly, but soon found that she meant no harm to him. He told her that
such misrepresentations were quite possible, and that they embodied a
form of humour which was getting more and more into vogue among certain
facetious persons of society.

Charlotte was coming away when she asked, as on second thoughts, if he
had any specimens of such work to show her.

'None of my own preparation,' said Mr. Ray, with unimpeachable probity
of tone. 'I consider them libellous myself. Still, I have one or two
samples by me, which I keep merely as curiosities.--There's one,' he
said, throwing out a portrait card from a drawer. 'That represents the
German Emperor in a violent passion: this one shows the Prime Minister
out of his mind; this the Pope of Rome the worse for liquor.'

She inquired if he had any local specimens.

'Yes,' he said, 'but I prefer not to exhibit them unless you really ask
for a particular one that you mean to buy.'

'I don't want any.'

'O, I beg pardon, miss. Well, I shouldn't myself own such things were
produced, if there had not been a young man here at one time who was
very ingenious in these matters--a Mr. Dare. He was quite a gent, and
only did it as an amusement, and not for the sake of getting a living.'

Charlotte had no wish to hear more. On her way home she burst into
tears: the entanglement was altogether too much for her to tear asunder,
even had not her own instincts been urging her two ways, as they were.

To immediately right Somerset's wrong was her impetuous desire as
an honest woman who loved him; but such rectification would be the
jeopardizing of all else that gratified her--the marriage of her brother
with her dearest friend--now on the very point of accomplishment. It was
a marriage which seemed to promise happiness, or at least comfort, if
the old flutter that had transiently disturbed Paula's bosom could be
kept from reviving, to which end it became imperative to hide from her
the discovery of injustice to Somerset. It involved the advantage of
leaving Somerset free; and though her own tender interest in him had
been too well schooled by habitual self-denial to run ahead on vain
personal hopes, there was nothing more than human in her feeling
pleasure in prolonging Somerset's singleness. Paula might even be
allowed to discover his wro