er
man; and she regarded Mr. Spooner of Spoon Hall as being guilty of
unpardonable impudence in approaching her at all.

"A red-faced vulgar old man, who looks as if he did nothing but
drink," she said to Lady Chiltern.

"He does you no harm, my dear."

"But he does do harm. He makes things very uncomfortable. He has no
business to think it possible. People will suppose that I gave him
encouragement."

"I used to have lovers coming to me year after year,--the same
people,--whom I don't think I ever encouraged; but I never felt angry
with them."

"But you didn't have Mr. Spooner."

"Mr. Spooner didn't know me in those days, or there is no saying what
might have happened." Then Lady Chiltern argued the matter on views
directly opposite to those which she had put forward when discussing
the matter with her husband. "I always think that any man who is
privileged to sit down to table with you is privileged to ask.
There are disparities of course which may make the privilege
questionable,--disparities of age, rank, and means."

"And of tastes," said Adelaide.

"I don't know about that.--A poet doesn't want to marry a poetess,
nor a philosopher a philosopheress. A man may make himself a fool
by putting himself in the way of certain refusal; but I take it
the broad rule is that a man may fall in love with any lady who
habitually sits in his company."

"I don't agree with you at all. What would be said if the curate at
Long Royston were to propose to one of the FitzHoward girls?"

"The Duchess would probably ask the Duke to make the young man a
bishop out of hand, and the Duke would have to spend a morning in
explaining to her the changes which have come over the making of
bishops since she was young. There is no other rule that you can lay
down, and I think that girls should understand that they have to
fight their battles subject to that law. It's very easy to say,
'No.'"

"But a man won't take 'No.'"

"And it's lucky for us sometimes that they don't," said Lady
Chiltern, remembering certain passages in her early life.

The answer was written that night by Lord Chiltern after much
consultation. As to the nature of the answer,--that it should be a
positive refusal,--of course there could be no doubt; but then arose
a question whether a reason should be given, or whether the refusal
should be simply a refusal. At last it was decided that a reason
should be given, and the letter ran as follows:--

MY DEA