e the world--the world need not know anything about them if it does
not insist on prying into his affairs. The greatest grudge women have
against him is that he is mortally opposed to marriage, and carries on a
crusade against it as though he were St. George, and matrimony the
Dragon. He says if you want to make two people hate each other who would
otherwise be disposed to love--"

"Hush! my dear Hamilton," cries Miss Susan, horrified. "Pray spare us a
repetition of Mr. Vansittart's iniquitous opinions."

"I suppose," laughs Virginia, "that women don't insist on marrying him
by force, do they?"

"A great many would be very glad to have him," rejoins Mr. Hamilton, "he
is a tremendously taking fellow."

"And have you _really_ asked him to dinner?" interposes Miss Susan.

"I have, indeed, my dear, and I had a good deal of difficulty in
persuading him to come. He persisted that he went so little into
society--into _ladies_' society."

Miss Susan gave a little snort.

"He has no right to go into it at all with the views he holds; and,
pray, whom is he to take in to dinner?"

"Mrs. Ashton, I thought," answers Mr. Hamilton. "I am afraid he would be
bored with an unmarried lady."

"When I was young," says Miss Susan, bridling, "married women were as
modest and particular in their conversation as unmarried ones."

"Ah!" observes her brother dryly.

"Uncle," cries Virginia, "let him take me. If he is original, I shall be
sure to like him; and as I don't intend to marry, he need not be afraid
of my having designs on him. I shall give him a hint whilst he is eating
his soup that I have made a vow to _coiffer Ste. Catherine_."

"Virginia!" remonstrates Miss Susan; "and you know Sir Harry Hotspur is
to take you."

"No, no," cries Virginia, "he bores me to distraction. Besides,"
laughing, "he 'goes for married women.' Let him have Mrs. Ashton, and
give me Mr. Vansittart."

Miss Susan has one virtue, which is, that she is never quite so shocked
as she pretends to be. Moreover, Virginia always gets her way with both
uncle and aunt. So when the evening of the dinner party arrives, Mr.
Hayward brings Mr. Vansittart up to his niece and introduces him. Whilst
he is uttering a few of those _banalites_ which must inevitably be the
precursors of even the most interesting conversation between two
strangers, Virginia is taking an inventory of him. He is tall, rather
dark than fair; his features are well cut, and he has particula