n's door.

"Her son is very clever, is he not?" said Madeline, addressing
herself to Miss Furnival.

Sophia shrugged her shoulders and put her head on one side with a
pretty grace. "Yes, I believe so. People say so. But who is to tell
whether a young man be clever or no?"

"But some are so much more clever than others. Don't you think so?"

"Oh yes, as some girls are so much prettier than others. But if Mr.
Mason were to talk Greek to you, you would not think him clever."

"I should not understand him, you know."

"Of course not; but you would understand that he was a blockhead to
show off his learning in that way. You don't want him to be clever,
you see; you only want him to be agreeable."

"I don't know that I want either the one or the other."

"Do you not? I know I do. I think that young men in society are bound
to be agreeable, and that they should not be there if they do not
know how to talk pleasantly, and to give something in return for all
the trouble we take for them."

"I don't take any trouble for them," said Madeline laughing.

"Surely you must, if you only think of it. All ladies do, and so they
ought. But if in return for that a man merely talks Greek to me, I,
for my part, do not think that the bargain is fairly carried out."

"I declare you will make me quite afraid of Mr. Mason."

"Oh, he never talks Greek;--at least he never has to me. I rather
like him. But what I mean is this, that I do not think a man a bit
more likely to be agreeable because he has the reputation of being
very clever. For my part I rather think that I like stupid young
men."

"Oh, do you? Then now I shall know what you think of Augustus. We
think he is very clever; but I do not know any man who makes himself
more popular with young ladies."

"Ah, then he is a gay deceiver."

"He is gay enough, but I am sure he is no deceiver. A man may make
himself nice to young ladies without deceiving any of them; may he
not?"

"You must not take me 'au pied de la lettre,' Miss Staveley, or I
shall be lost. Of course he may. But when young gentlemen are so very
nice, young ladies are so apt to--"

"To what?"

"Not to fall in love with them exactly, but to be ready to be fallen
in love with, and then if a man does do it he is a deceiver. I
declare it seems to me that we don't allow them a chance of going
right."

"I think that Augustus manages to steer through such difficulties
very cleverly."

"He sails about in the