peal
to her sympathies? His air of graceful sadness could not but lead her
to muse as often as she observed it; he had contemplated himself in the
mirror, and each time with reassurance on this point. Why should the
attractions which had been potent with Madeline fail to engage the
interest of this younger and more emotional girl? Miss Doran was far
beyond Madeline in beauty, and, there was every reason to believe, had
the substantial gifts of fortune which Madeline altogether lacked. It
was a bold thing to turn his eye to her with such a thought,
circumstances considered; but the boldness was characteristic of Marsh,
with whom at all times self-esteem had the force of an irresistible
argument.

He was incapable of passion. Just as he had made a pretence of pursuing
art, because of a superficial cleverness and a liking for ease and the
various satisfactions of his vanity in such a career, so did he now
permit his mind to be occupied with Cecily Doran, not because her
qualities blinded him to all other considerations, but in pleasant
yielding to a temptation of his fancy, which made a lively picture of
many desirable things, and flattered him into thinking that they were
not beyond his reach. For the present he could do nothing but wait,
supporting his pose of placid martyrdom. Wait, and watch every
opportunity; there would arrive a moment when seeming recklessness
might advance him far on the way to triumph.

And yet he never for a moment regarded himself as a schemer
endeavouring to compass vulgar ends by machination. He had the
remarkable faculty of viewing himself in an ideal light, even whilst
conscious that so many of his claims were mere pretence. Men such as
Clifford Marsh do not say to themselves, "What a humbug I am!" When
driven to face their conscience, it speaks to them rather in this way:
"You are a fellow of fine qualities, altogether out of the common way
of men. A pity that conditions do not allow you to be perfectly honest;
but people in general are so foolish that you would get no credit for
your superiority if you did not wear a little tinsel, practise a few
harmless affectations. Some day your difficulties will be at an end,
and then you can afford to show yourself in a simpler guise." When he
looked in the glass, Clifford admired himself without reserve; when he
talked freely, he applauded his own cleverness, and thought it the most
natural thing that other people should do so. When he meditated