d heavy was her foolish little heart. Love had put
out his lights, and the little nursery governess walked in darkness.

I felt I could complain to the committee.

Oh, you selfish young zany of a man, after all you have said to her,
won't you make it up and let me return to my coffee? Not he.

Little nursery governess, I appeal to you. Annoying girl, be joyous as
of old during the five minutes of the day when you are anything to me,
and for the rest of the time, so far as I am concerned, you may be as
wretched as you list. Show some courage. I assure you he must be a very
bad painter; only the other day I saw him looking longingly into the
window of a cheap Italian restaurant, and in the end he had to crush
down his aspirations with two penny scones.

You can do better than that. Come, Mary.

All in vain. She wants to be loved; can't do without love from morning
till night; never knew how little a woman needs till she lost that
little. They are all like this.

Zounds, madam, if you are resolved to be a drooping little figure till
you die, you might at least do it in another street.

Not only does she maliciously depress me by walking past on ordinary
days, but I have discovered that every Thursday from two to three she
stands afar off, gazing hopelessly at the romantic post-office where she
and he shall meet no more. In these windy days she is like a homeless
leaf blown about by passers-by.

There is nothing I can do except thunder at William.

At last she accomplished her unworthy ambition. It was a wet Thursday,
and from the window where I was writing letters I saw the forlorn soul
taking up her position at the top of the street: in a blast of fury I
rose with the one letter I had completed, meaning to write the others in
my chambers. She had driven me from the club.

I had turned out of Pall Mall into a side street, when whom should I
strike against but her false swain! It was my fault, but I hit out at
him savagely, as I always do when I run into anyone in the street. Then
I looked at him. He was hollow-eyed; he was muddy; there was not a haw
left in him. I never saw a more abject young man; he had not even the
spirit to resent the testy stab I had given him with my umbrella. But
this is the important thing: he was glaring wistfully at the post-office
and thus in a twink I saw that he still adored my little governess.
Whatever had been their quarrel he was as anxious to make it up as she,
and perhaps he h