a sort of privilege. For the
rest, my inquiry will speak for itself.'

'Why so many preliminaries?' the young man asked, smiling.

We looked into each other's eyes a moment. What indeed was his mother's
manner--her best manner--compared with his? 'Are you prepared to be
responsible?'

'To you?'

'Dear no--to the young lady herself. I am speaking of course of Miss
Mavis.'

'Ah yes, my mother tells me you have her greatly on your mind.'

'So has your mother herself--now.'

'She is so good as to say so--to oblige you.'

'She would oblige me a great deal more by reassuring me. I am aware that
you know I have told her that Miss Mavis is greatly talked about.'

'Yes, but what on earth does it matter?'

'It matters as a sign.'

'A sign of what?'

'That she is in a false position.'

Jasper puffed his cigar, with his eyes on the horizon. 'I don't know
whether it's _your_ business, what you are attempting to discuss; but it
really appears to me it is none of mine. What have I to do with the
tattle with which a pack of old women console themselves for not being
sea-sick?'

'Do you call it tattle that Miss Mavis is in love with you?'

'Drivelling.'

'Then you are very ungrateful. The tattle of a pack of old women has
this importance, that she suspects or knows that it exists, and that
nice girls are for the most part very sensitive to that sort of thing.
To be prepared not to heed it in this case she must have a reason, and
the reason must be the one I have taken the liberty to call your
attention to.'

'In love with me in six days, just like that?' said Jasper, smoking.

'There is no accounting for tastes, and six days at sea are equivalent
to sixty on land. I don't want to make you too proud. Of course if you
recognise your responsibility it's all right and I have nothing to say.'

'I don't see what you mean,' Jasper went on.

'Surely you ought to have thought of that by this time. She's engaged to
be married and the gentleman she is engaged to is to meet her at
Liverpool. The whole ship knows it (I didn't tell them!) and the whole
ship is watching her. It's impertinent if you like, just as I am, but we
make a little world here together and we can't blink its conditions.
What I ask you is whether you are prepared to allow her to give up the
gentleman I have just mentioned for your sake.'

'For my sake?'

'To marry her if she breaks with him.'

Jasper turned his eyes from the horizon to my own, and I