own him into her neighbourhood alone. These are unmistakeable signs in
Merthyr, though he has never been in love, and doesn't understand his
case a bit. Tell me, do you think it impossible?"

Georgiana answered dryly, "You have fallen into a fresh mistake."

Exactly. Then let me rescue you from a similar fatality, Georgey. If your
eyes are bandaged now..."

"Are you going to be devoted to me also, Charlotte?"

"I believe I'm a miracle of devotion," said the lady, retiring into
indifferent topics upon that phrase. She had at any rate partially
covered the figure of ridicule presented to her feminine imagination by
the aspect of her fair self exposed in public contention with one of her
sex--and for a man. It was enough to make her pulse and her brain lively.
On second thoughts, too, it had struck her that she might be serving
Merthyr in disengaging Emilia; and undoubtedly she served Georgiana by
giving her a warning. Through this silliness went the current of a clear
mind, nevertheless. The lady's heart was justified in crying out: "What
would I not abandon for my friend in his need?" Meantime her battle in
her own behalf looked less pleasing by the light of new advantages. The
question recurred: "Shall I care to win at all?" She had to force the
idea of a violent love to excuse her proceedings. To get up any flame
whatsoever, an occasional blast of jealousy had to be called for.
Jealousy was a quality she could not admit as possible to her. So she
acted on herself by an agent she repudiated, and there was no help for
it. Had Wilfrid loved her the woman's heart was ready. It was ready with
a trembling tenderness, softer and deeper than a girl's. For Charlotte
would have felt: "With this love that I have craved for, you give me
life." And she would have thanked him for both, exultingly, to feel: "I
can repay you as no girl could do;" though she had none of the rage of
love to give; as it was, she thought conscientiously that she could help
him. She liked him: his peculiar suppleness of a growing mind, his
shrouded sensibility, in conjunction with his reputation for an evidently
quite reliable prompt courage, and the mask he wore, which was to her
transparent, pleased her and touched her fancy.

Nor was he so vain of his person as to make him seem like a boy to her.
He affected maturity. He could pass a mirror on his right or his left
without an abstracted look over either shoulder;--a poor example, but
worth something