o we know what wear and tear of your nervous texture I
succeeded in saving when I said. 'Wait till Philip mentions it without
asking?' There is the personal application of my system. I have
explained it in my time to every woman on the list of my acquaintance,
including the female servants. Not one of them has rewarded me by
adopting my system. How do you feel about it?"

Mrs. Staveley declined to tell me whether she had offered a bright
example of gratitude to the rest of the sex. When I asked why, she
declared that it was my turn now to tell her what I had been doing.

You will anticipate what followed. She objected to the mystery in which
my prospects seemed to be involved. In plain English, was I, or was I
not, engaged to marry her dear Eunice? I said, No. What else could I
say? If I had told Mrs. Staveley the truth, when she insisted on my
explaining myself, she would have gone back to my father, and would
have appealed to his sense of justice to forbid our marriage. Finding me
obstinately silent, she has decided on writing to Eunice. So we parted.
But don't be disheartened. On my way out of the house, I met Mr.
Staveley coming in, and had a little talk with him. He and his wife and
his family are going to the seaside, next week. Mrs. Staveley once out
of our way, I can tell my father of our engagement without any fear
of consequences. If she writes to him, the moment he sees my name
mentioned, and finds violent language associated with it, he will hand
the letter to me. "Your business, Philip: don't interrupt me." He will
say that, and go back to his books. There is my father, painted to the
life! Farewell, for the present.

.......

Remarks by H. G.--Philip's grace and gayety of style might be envied by
any professional Author. He amuses me, but he rouses my suspicion at the
same time. This slippery lover of mine tells me to defer writing to
his father, and gives no reason for offering that strange advice to the
young lady who is soon to be a member of the family. Is this merely one
more instance of the weakness of his character? Or, now that he is away
from my influence, is he beginning to regret Eunice already?

Added by the Governor.--I too have my doubts. Is the flippant nonsense
which Philip has written inspired by the effervescent good spirits of a
happy young man? Or is it assumed for a purpose? In this latter case, I
should gladly conclude that he was regarding his conduct to Eunice with
becoming emo