her sense of honour and respect for us.'

'Tell me of her reputation, Richie.'

'You pretend that you can damage it!'

'Pretend? I pretend in the teeth of all concerned to establish her
happiness and yours, and nothing human shall stop me. I have you grateful
to me before your old dad lays his head on his last pillow. And that
reminds me: I surrender my town house and furniture to you. Waddy has
received the word. By the way, should you hear of a good doctor for
heart-disease, tell me: I have my fears for the poor soul.'

He stood up, saying, 'Richie, I am not like Jorian, to whom a
lodging-house dinner is no dinner, and an irreparable loss, but I must
have air. I go forth on a stroll.'

It was impossible for me to allow it. I stopped him.

We were in the midst of a debate as to his right of personal freedom,
upon the singularity of which he commented with sundry ejaculations, when
Temple arrived and General Goodwin sent up his card. Temple and I left
the general closeted with my father, and stood at the street-door. He had
seen the princess, having at her request been taken to present his
respects to her by Janet. How she looked, what she said, he was dull in
describing; he thought her lively, though she was pale. She had mentioned
my name, 'kindly,' he observed. And he knew, or suspected, the General to
be an emissary from the prince. But he could not understand the exact
nature of the complication, and plagued me with a mixture of blunt
inquiries and the delicate reserve proper to him so much that I had to
look elsewhere for counsel and sympathy. Janet had told him everything;
still he was plunged in wonder, tempting me to think the lawyer's mind of
necessity bourgeois, for the value of a sentiment seemed to have no
weight in his estimation of the case. Nor did he appear disinclined to
excuse my father. Some of his remarks partly swayed me, in spite of my
seeing that they were based on the supposition of an 'all for love'
adventure of a mad princess. They whispered a little hope, when I was
adoring her passionately for being the reverse of whatever might have
given hope a breath.

General Goodwin, followed by my father, came down and led me aside after
I had warned Temple not to let my father elude him. The General was
greatly ruffled. 'Clara tells me she can rely on you,' he said. 'I am at
the end of my arguments with that man, short of sending him to the
lock-up. You will pardon me, Mr. Harry; I foresaw the