oyous tone, which
quite reconciled the Duke of St. James to being a ruined man.

The presence of strangers limited their conversation to subjects of
general interest. At dinner, the Duke took care to be agreeable: he
talked in an unaffected manner, and particularly to the cousins, who
were all delighted with him, and found him 'quite a different person
from what they had fancied.' The evening passed over, and even lightly,
without the aid of _ecarte_, romances, or gallops. Mr. Dacre chatted
with old Mr. Montingford, and old Mrs. Montingford sat still admiring
her 'girls,' who stood still admiring May Dacre singing or talking, and
occasionally reconciled us to their occasional silence by a frequent
and extremely hearty laugh; that Cumberland laugh which never outlives a
single season in London.

And the Duke of St. James, what did he do? It must be confessed that in
some points he greatly resembled the Misses Montingford, for he was both
silent and admiring; but he never laughed. Yet he was not dull, and
was careful not to show that he had cares, which is vulgar. If a man be
gloomy, let him keep to himself. No one has a right to go croaking
about society, or, what is worse, looking as if he stifled grief. These
fellows should be put in the pound. We like a good broken heart or so
now and then; but then one should retire to the Sierra Morena mountains,
and live upon locusts and wild honey, not 'dine out' with our cracked
cores, and, while we are meditating suicide, the Gazette, or the
Chiltern Hundreds, damn a vintage or eulogise an _entree_.

And as for cares, what are cares when a man is in love? Once more they
had met; once more he gazed upon that sunny and sparkling face; once
more he listened to that sweet and thrilling voice, which sounded like
a bird-like burst of music upon a summer morning. She moved, and each
attitude was fascination. She was still, and he regretted that she
moved. Now her neck, now her hair, now her round arm, now her tapering
waist, ravished his attention; now he is in ecstasies with her twinkling
foot; now he is dazzled with her glancing hand.

Once more he was at Dacre! How different was this meeting to their
first! Then, she was cold, almost cutting; then she was disregardful,
almost contemptuous; but then he had hoped; ah! madman, he had more than
hoped. Now she was warm, almost affectionate; now she listened to him
with readiness, ay! almost courted his conversation. And now he could