should. It
was scarcely to be wondered at that the goddesses found such an
exhibition of devotion a little bit irritating, and voted Lulu,
the happy and victorious, as odious as Lulu, the abandoned, the
secretly-grieving, had been lovely and interesting. It was especially
Roeschen, the admirer of daring unconventionally, who took it into her
head that she had been wronged and deceived by the false and heartless
Lulu, and she swore--that is to say, she vowed solemnly--that she
should yet get even with that sly and demure little arch-fiend. The
coveted opportunity did not, however, present itself as soon as her
impatience demanded, and while the winter dragged along slowly,
alternating delightfully between frozen mud and liquid mud, Grover's
devotion went on steadily deepening, until Miss Jones even interfered
with his laboratory practice, mixed herself up in his chemicals, and
on one occasion precipitated an explosion which singed his whiskers
and damaged his complexion for a month to come. From this experience
he drew the wise deduction that love and chemistry are antagonistic
forces, and therefore irreconcilable; but as he could not persuade
himself to give up either, it occurred to him to effect a compromise.
He would, as far as possible, devote the forenoons to chemistry and
the afternoons to love--that is to say, he would devote himself to
Miss Jones, and try gently to lure her on to the forbidden topic.

I believe I have said before that demonstrations of affection were
strictly prohibited; but I have not remarked that in the by-laws
subsequently drafted by Miss Jones for the regulation of their
abnormal relation, oral references to the same interesting topic were
likewise forbidden. When Miss Jones had her own way, she usually
talked music, and talked intelligently and well. She seemed to find a
kind of humorous satisfaction in confining her adorer strictly to
practical topics and in ignoring sentimental allusions. If he rebelled
against this sort of maltreatment, and became silent and moody, she
aggravated the offence by not appearing to notice it. She would then
find employment in separating little boys who fought in the street, or
in eliciting confidences from old apple-women. There was something
almost fiercely virginal about her, something bordering upon
enthusiasm in the way she repelled an attempted incursion upon the
forbidden ground. And withal she was so tender and sympathetic toward
all mankind, that h