e she must
separate herself from me. I think it would be better for her, Miss
Furnival, to be staying at home with me, than to be at The Cleeve."

"The kindness of Mrs. Orme must be a great support to her."

"And why should not my kindness be a support to her,--or rather my
affection? We know from whom all these scandals come. My desire is to
meet that man in a court of law and thrust these falsehoods down his
throat."

"Ah! but you are a man."

"And therefore I would take the burden from her shoulders. But no;
she will not trust to me. The truth, Miss Furnival, is this, that she
has not yet learned to think of me as a man. To her I am still the
boy for whom she is bound to provide, not the son who should bear
for her all her cares. As it is I feel that I do not dare again to
trouble her with my advice."

"Grandmamma is dead," shouted out a shrill small voice from the
card-table. "Oh, grandmamma, do have one of my lives. Look! I've got
three," said another.

"Thank you, my dears; but the natural term of my existence has come,
and I will not rebel against fate."

"Oh, grandmamma,--we'll let you have another grace."

"By no means, Charley. Indeed I am not clear that I am entitled to
Christian burial, as it is."

"A case of felo de se, I rather think," said her son. "About this
time of the night suicide does become common among the elders.
Unfortunately for me, the pistol that I have been snapping at my own
head for the last half-hour always hangs fire."

There was not much of love-making in the conversation which had taken
place between young Mason and Sophia; not much at least up to this
point; but a confidence had been established, and before he left her
he did say a word or two that was more tender in its nature. "You
must not be in dudgeon with me," he said, "for speaking to you of all
this. Hitherto I have kept it all to myself, and perhaps I should
still have done so."

"Oh no; do not say that."

"I am in great grief. It is dreadful to me to hear these things said,
and as yet I have found no sympathy."

"I can assure you, Mr. Mason, that I do sympathise with you most
sincerely. I only wish my sympathy could be of more value."

"It will be invaluable," he said, not looking at her, but fixing his
eyes upon the fire, "if it be given with constancy from the first to
the last of this sad affair."

"It shall be so given," said Miss Furnival, also looking at the fire.

"It will be tolerably long, and