deeper sigh. "But you know, my dear," said Miss Todd, in her most
consolatory voice, and these words were distinctly audible, "nothing
does a man of that sort so much good as marrying."

"Does it?" asked Miss Baker.

"Certainly; if his wife knows how to manage him."

And then Miss Todd departed, leaving Miss Baker with much work for
her thoughts. Her female friend Miss Baker had quite forgiven; but
she felt that she could never quite forgive him. "To have deceived
me so!" she said to herself, recurring to her old idea of his great
respectability. But, nevertheless, it was probably his other sin that
rankled deepest in her mind.

Of Miss Baker it may be said that she had hardly touched the pitch;
at any rate, that it had not defiled her.

Sir Lionel was somewhat ill at ease as he walked from the Paragon to
his livery stables. He had certainly looked upon success with Miss
Todd as by no means sure; but, nevertheless, he was disappointed. Let
any of us, in any attempt that we may make, convince ourselves with
ever so much firmness that we shall fail, yet we are hardly the less
down-hearted when the failure comes. We assure ourselves that we are
not sanguine, but we assure ourselves falsely. It is man's nature to
be sanguine; his nature, and perhaps his greatest privilege.

And Sir Lionel, as he walked along, began to fear that his own
scruples would now stand in the way of that other marriage--of
that second string to his bow. When, in making his little private
arrangements within his own mind, he had decided that if Miss Todd
rejected him he would forthwith walk off to Miss Baker, it never
occurred to him that his own feelings would militate against such
a proceeding. But such was now absolutely the fact. Having talked
about "dear Sarah," he found that even he would have a difficulty in
bringing himself to the utterance of "dear Mary."

He went to bed, however, that night with the comfortable reflection
that any such nonsense would be dissipated by the morning. But when
the morning came--his morning, one P.M.--his feeling he found was
the same. He could not see Miss Baker that day.

He was disgusted and disappointed with himself. He had flattered
himself that he was gifted with greater firmness; and now that he
found himself so wanting in strength of character, he fretted and
fumed, as men will do, even at their own faults. He swore to himself
that he would go to-morrow, and that evening went to bed early,
try