my aggressive ones are
still smaller Osmond may after all not think me worth his gunpowder. At
any rate," he added, "there are things I'm curious to see."

"You're sacrificing your health to your curiosity then?"

"I'm not much interested in my health, and I'm deeply interested in Mrs.
Osmond."

"So am I. But not as I once was," Lord Warburton added quickly. This was
one of the allusions he had not hitherto found occasion to make.

"Does she strike you as very happy?" Ralph enquired, emboldened by this
confidence.

"Well, I don't know; I've hardly thought. She told me the other night
she was happy."

"Ah, she told YOU, of course," Ralph exclaimed, smiling.

"I don't know that. It seems to me I was rather the sort of person she
might have complained to."

"Complained? She'll never complain. She has done it--what she HAS
done--and she knows it. She'll complain to you least of all. She's very
careful."

"She needn't be. I don't mean to make love to her again."

"I'm delighted to hear it. There can be no doubt at least of YOUR duty."

"Ah no," said Lord Warburton gravely; "none!"

"Permit me to ask," Ralph went on, "whether it's to bring out the fact
that you don't mean to make love to her that you're so very civil to the
little girl?"

Lord Warburton gave a slight start; he got up and stood before the fire,
looking at it hard. "Does that strike you as very ridiculous?"

"Ridiculous? Not in the least, if you really like her."

"I think her a delightful little person. I don't know when a girl of
that age has pleased me more."

"She's a charming creature. Ah, she at least is genuine."

"Of course there's the difference in our ages--more than twenty years."

"My dear Warburton," said Ralph, "are you serious?"

"Perfectly serious--as far as I've got."

"I'm very glad. And, heaven help us," cried Ralph, "how cheered-up old
Osmond will be!"

His companion frowned. "I say, don't spoil it. I shouldn't propose for
his daughter to please HIM."

"He'll have the perversity to be pleased all the same."

"He's not so fond of me as that," said his lordship.

"As that? My dear Warburton, the drawback of your position is that
people needn't be fond of you at all to wish to be connected with you.
Now, with me in such a case, I should have the happy confidence that
they loved me."

Lord Warburton seemed scarcely in the mood for doing justice to general
axioms--he was thinking of a special case. "Do you judge s