advertisement. Nowadays, when professionals vied with each other in the
expensiveness of their jewels, the size of their hats, or the smallness
of their waists, and the eccentricity of their costumes, it was perhaps
rather a new note to wear no jewels at all, and appear in ready-made
frocks bought in bargain-sales; while, as for the young woman's air of
childlike innocence and inexperience, it might be a tribute to her
cleverness as an actress, but it was not a tribute to his intelligence
as a man, that he should have been taken in by it. Always, he told
himself, he was being taken in by some woman. After the lesson he had
had, he ought to have learned wisdom, but it seemed that he was as
gullible as ever. And it was this romantic folly of his which vexed him
now; not the fact that a simple child over whose fate he had
sentimentalized, was a rich and popular stage-dancer. Miss Ray was
probably a good enough young woman according to her lights, and it was
not she who need be shamed by the success of the Channel boat comedy.

He had another day and night in Paris, where he did more sightseeing
than he had ever accomplished before in a dozen visits, and then
travelled on to Marseilles. The slight damage to the _Charles Quex_ had
been repaired, and at noon the ship was to sail. Stephen went on board
early, as he could think of nothing else which he preferred to do, and
he was repaid for his promptness. By the time he had seen his luggage
deposited in the cabin he had secured for himself alone, engaged a deck
chair, and taken a look over the ship--which was new, and as handsome as
much oak, fragrant cedar-wood, gilding, and green brocade could make
her--many other passengers were coming on board. Travelling first class
were several slim French officers, and stout Frenchmen of the commercial
class; a merry theatrical company going to act in Algiers and Tunis; an
English clergyman of grave aspect; invalids with their nurses, and two
or three dignified Arabs, evidently of good birth as well as fortune.
Arab merchants were returning from the Riviera, and a party of German
students were going second class.

Stephen was interested in the lively scene of embarkation, and glad to
be a part of it, though still more glad that there seemed to be nobody
on board whom he had ever met. He admired the harbour, and the shipping,
and felt pleasantly exhilarated. "I feel very young, or very old, I'm
not sure which," he said to himself as a fa