rives, these drives! What delicious memories of
woodland and romance! I fell desperately in love with that girl, Tony--I
pledge you my honor I did. I 've thought a great deal over it all since
I started for Ireland, and I have a plan, a plan for us both."

"What is it?"

"Let us marry these girls. Let us be brothers in law as well as in love.
You prefer Alice,--I consent. Take her, take her, Tony, and may you be
happy with her!" And as he spoke, he laid his hand on the other's head
with a reverend solemnity.

"This is nonsense, and worse than nonsense," said Tony, angrily; but the
other's temper was imperturbable, and he went on: "You fancy this is
all dreamland that I 'm promising you: but that is because you, my dear
Tony, with many good qualities, are totally wanting in one,--you have
no imagination, and, like all fellows denied this gift, you never can
conceive anything happening to you except what has already happened.
You like to live in a circle, and you do live in a circle,--you are the
turnspits of humanity."

"I am a troublesome dog, though, if you anger me," said Tony, half
fiercely.

"Very possibly, but there are certain men dogs never attack." And as
Skeffy said this, he threw forward his chest, held his head back, and
looked with an air of such proud defiance that Tony lay back in a chair
and laughed heartily.

"I never saw a great hulking fellow yet that was not impressed with the
greatness of his stature," said Skeffy. "Every inch after five feet six
takes a foot off a man's intellectual standard. It is Skeff Darner says
it, Tony, and you may believe it."

"I wish you 'd tell me about Tilney," said Tony, half irritably.

"I appreciate you, as the French say. You want to hear that I am not
your rival,--you want to know that I have not taken any ungenerous
advantage of your absence. _Tonino mio_, be of good comfort,--I
preferred the sister; shall I tell you why?"

"I don't want to hear anything about it."

"What a jealous dog it is, even after I have declared, on the word of a
Darner, that he has nothing to apprehend from me! It was a lucky day
led me down there, Tony. Don't you remember the old woman's note to me,
mentioning a hundred pounds, or something like it, she had forgotten to
enclose? She found the bank-note afterwards on her table, and after much
puzzling with herself, ascertained it was the sum she had meant to
remit me. Trifling as the incident was she thought it delicate, or
high