e
that if they had not been friends. When I saw it I almost thought that
he had consented to the marriage.'

'Roger has the greatest dislike to Mr Melmotte.'

'I know he has,' said Paul.

'And Roger is always right. It is always safe to trust him. Don't you
think so, Mr Montague?' Paul did think so, and was by no means
disposed to deny to his rival the praise which rightly belonged to
him; but still he found the subject difficult. 'Of course I will never
go against mamma,' continued Hetta, 'but I always feel that my cousin
Roger is a rock of strength, so that if one did whatever he said one
would never get wrong. I never found any one else that I thought that
of, but I do think it of him.'

'No one has more reason to praise him than I have.'

'I think everybody has reason to praise him that has to do with him.
And I'll tell you why I think it is. Whenever he thinks anything he
says it;--or, at least, he never says anything that he doesn't think. If
he spent a thousand pounds, everybody would know that he'd got it to
spend; but other people are not like that.'

'You're thinking of Melmotte.'

'I'm thinking of everybody, Mr Montague;--of everybody except Roger.'

'Is he the only man you can trust? But it is abominable to me to seem
even to contradict you. Roger Carbury has been to me the best friend
that any man ever had. I think as much of him as you do.'

'I didn't say he was the only person;--or I didn't mean to say so. But
all my friends--'

'Am I among the number, Miss Carbury?'

'Yes;--I suppose so. Of course you are. Why not? Of course you are a
friend,--because you are his friend.'

'Look here, Hetta,' he said. 'It is no good going on like this. I love
Roger Carbury,--as well as one man can love another. He is all that you
say,--and more. You hardly know how he denies himself, and how he thinks
of everybody near him. He is a gentleman all round and every inch. He
never lies. He never takes what is not his own. I believe he does love
his neighbour as himself.'

'Oh, Mr Montague! I am so glad to hear you speak of him like that.'

'I love him better than any man,--as well as a man can love a man. If
you will say that you love him as well as a woman can love a man,--I
will leave England at once, and never return to it.'

'There's mamma,' said Henrietta;--for at that moment there was a double
knock at the door.

CHAPTER XXXIX - 'I DO LOVE HIM'

So it was. Lady Carbury had returned home fro