in his leer, which very plainly told me how satisfied he was as to the
nature of the impression he was making upon me.

I would have given worlds to tell him how odious I thought him. Probably,
however, he would not have believed me. Perhaps he fancied that 'ladies'
affected airs of indifference and repulsion to cover their real feelings. I
never looked at or spoke to him when I could avoid either, and then it was
as briefly as I could. To do him justice, however, he seemed to have no
liking for our society, and certainly never seemed altogether comfortable
in it.

I find it hard to write quite impartially even of Dudley Ruthyn's personal
appearance; but, with an effort, I confess that his features were good, and
his figure not amiss, though a little fattish. He had light whiskers, light
hair, and a pink complexion, and very good blue eyes. So far my uncle was
right; and if he had been perfectly gentlemanlike, he really might have
passed for a handsome man in the judgment of some critics.

But there was that odious mixture of _mauvaise honte_ and impudence, a
clumsiness, a slyness, and a consciousness in his bearing and countenance,
not distinctly boorish, but _low_, which turned his good looks into an
ugliness more intolerable than that of feature; and a corresponding
vulgarity pervading his dress, his demeanour, and his very walk, marred
whatever good points his figure possessed. If you take all this into
account, with the ominous and startling misgivings constantly recurring,
you will understand the mixed feelings of anger and disgust with which I
received the admiration he favoured me with.

Gradually he grew less constrained in my presence, and certainly his
manners were not improved by his growing ease and confidence.

He came in while Milly and I were at luncheon, jumped up, with a
'right-about face' performed in the air, sitting on the sideboard, whence
grinning slyly and kicking his heels, he leered at us.

'Will you have something, Dudley?' asked Milly.

'No, lass; but I'll look at ye, and maybe drink a drop for company.'

And with these words, he took a sportsman's flask from his pocket; and
helping himself to a large glass and a decanter, he compounded a glass of
strong brandy-and-water, as he talked, and refreshed himself with it from
time to time.

'Curate's up wi' the Governor,' he said, with a grin. 'I wanted a word wi'
him; but I s'pose I'll hardly git in this hour or more; they're a praying
an