d. Thinking was altogether beyond him. And he had never done a
day's work in his life. He could lie in bed. He could eat and drink.
He could smoke and sit idle. He could play cards; and could amuse
himself with women,--the lower the culture of the women, the better
the amusement. Beyond these things the world had nothing for him.
Therefore he again took himself to the pursuit of Ruby Ruggles.

Poor Ruby had endured a very painful incarceration at her aunt's
house. She had been wrathful and had stormed, swearing that she would
be free to come and go as she pleased. Free to go, Mrs Pipkin told her
that she was;--but not free to return if she went out otherwise than as
she, Mrs Pipkin, chose. 'Am I to be a slave?' Ruby asked, and almost
upset the perambulator which she had just dragged in at the hall door.
Then Mrs Hurtle had taken upon herself to talk to her, and poor Ruby
had been quelled by the superior strength of the American lady. But
she was very unhappy, finding that it did not suit her to be nursemaid
to her aunt. After all John Crumb couldn't have cared for her a bit,
or he would have come to look after her. While she was in this
condition Sir Felix came to Mrs Pipkin's house, and asked for her at
the door, it happened that Mrs Pipkin herself had opened the door,--
and, in her fright and dismay at the presence of so pernicious a young
man in her own passage, had denied that Ruby was in the house. But
Ruby had heard her lover's voice, and had rushed up and thrown herself
into his arms. Then there had been a great scene. Ruby had sworn that
she didn't care for her aunt, didn't care for her grandfather, or for
Mrs Hurtle, or for John Crumb,--or for any person or anything. She
cared only for her lover. Then Mrs Hurtle had asked the young man his
intentions. Did he mean to marry Ruby? Sir Felix had said that he
supposed he might as well some day. 'There,' said Ruby, 'there!'--
shouting in triumph as though an offer had been made to her with the
completest ceremony of which such an event admits. Mrs Pipkin had
been very weak. Instead of calling in the assistance of her
strong-minded lodger, she had allowed the lovers to remain together
for half an hour in the dining-room. I do not know that Sir Felix in
any way repeated his promise during that time, but Ruby was probably
too blessed with the word that had been spoken to ask for such
renewal. 'There must be an end of this,' said Mrs Pipkin, coming in
when the half-hour