in. She says she does.' 'Victor prompted you?' 'It occurred as it
occurred.' 'She does it for love of us?--Oh! I can't trifle.
Dartrey!' 'Tell me.' 'First, you haven't let me know what you think of
my Nesta.' 'She's a dear good girl.' 'Not so interesting to you as a
flighty little woman!' 'She has a speck of some sort on her mind.'
Nataly spied at Dudley's behaviour, and said: 'That will wear away. Is
Mr. Blathenoy much here?' 'As often as he can come, I believe.' 'That
is . . . ?' 'I have seen him twice.' 'His wife remains?' 'Fixed here
for the season.' 'My friend!' 'No harm, no harm!' 'But-to her!' 'You
have my word of honour.' 'Yes: and she is doing you a service, at your
request; you occasionally reward her with thanks; and she sees you are a
man of honour. Do you not know women?'

Dartrey blew his pooh-pooh on feminine suspicions. 'There's very little
left of the Don Amoroso in me. Women don't worship stone figures.'

'They do: like the sea-birds. And what do you say to me, Dartrey?--I can
confess it: I am one of them: I love you. When last you left England, I
kissed your hand. It was because of your manly heart in that stone
figure. I kept from crying: you used to scorn us English for the
"whimpering fits" you said we enjoy and must have in books, if we can't
get them up for ourselves. I could have prayed to have you as brother or
son. I love my Victor the better for his love of you. Oh!--poor soul--
how he is perverted since that building of Lakelands! He cannot take
soundings of the things he does. Formerly he confided in me, in all
things: now not one;--I am the chief person to deceive. If only he had
waited! We are in a network of intrigues and schemes, every artifice in
London--tempting one to hate simple worthy people, who naturally have
their views, and see me an impostor, and tolerate me, fascinated by him:
--or bribed--it has to be said. There are ways of bribeing. I trust he