f
his life. Nevertheless, when she flirted with Cradell, he did not
like it, and was ass enough to speak to Cradell about it.

"Of course I don't care," he said, "only it seems to me that you are
making a fool of yourself."

"I thought you wanted to get rid of her."

"She's nothing on earth to me; only it does, you know--"

"Does do what?" asked Cradell.

"Why, if I was to be fal-lalling with that married woman, you
wouldn't like it. That's all about it. Do you mean to marry her?"

"What!--Amelia?"

"Yes; Amelia."

"Not if I know it."

"Then if I were you I would leave her alone. She's only making a fool
of you."

Eames's advice may have been good, and the view taken by him of
Amelia's proceedings may have been correct; but as regarded his own
part in the affair, he was not wise. Miss Roper, no doubt, wished to
make him jealous; and she succeeded in the teeth of his aversion to
her and of his love elsewhere. He had no desire to say soft things
to Miss Roper. Miss Roper, with all her skill, could not extract a
word pleasantly soft from him once a week. But, nevertheless, soft
words to her and from her in another quarter made him uneasy. Such
being the case, must we not acknowledge that John Eames was still
floundering in the ignorance of his hobbledehoyhood?

The Lupexes at this time still held their ground in the Crescent,
although repeated warnings to go had been given them. Mrs Roper,
though she constantly spoke of sacrificing all that they owed her,
still hankered, with a natural hankering, after her money. And as
each warning was accompanied by a demand for payment, and usually
produced some slight subsidy on account, the thing went on from week
to week; and at the beginning of April Mr and Mrs Lupex were still
boarders at Mrs Roper's house.

Eames had heard nothing from Allington since the time of his
Christmas visit, and his subsequent correspondence with Lord De
Guest. In his letters from his mother he was told that game came
frequently from Guestwick Manor, and in this way he knew that he
was not forgotten by the earl. But of Lily he had heard not a
word,--except, indeed, the rumour, which had now become general, that
the Dales from the Small House were about to move themselves into
Guestwick. When first he learned this he construed the tidings as
favourable to himself, thinking that Lily, removed from the grandeur
of Allington, might possibly be more easily within his reach; but,
latterly, he