doesn't know her--I can't
altogether blame him. I told her so straight out."

"What did she say?"

"She said how funny it will be when he finds out how proper she is."

"So it will, won't it?"

Fanny considered the point.

"It's not half as funny as she thinks it. And, funniness and all,
she didn't like it."

"You can hardly expect her to," said Straker.

"Of course," said Fanny, musing, "there's a sort of innocence about
him, or else he couldn't think it."

Straker admitted that, as far as Philippa went, that might be said
of him.

"That's why I hate somehow to see him made a fool of. It doesn't
seem fair play, you know. It's taking advantage of his innocence."

Straker _had_ to laugh, for really, Furny's innocence!

"He always was," Fanny meditated aloud, "a fool about women."

"Oh, well, then," said Straker cheerfully. "She can't make him----"

"She can. She does. She draws out all the folly in him. I'm fond of
Philippa----"

That meant that Fanny was blaming Philippa as much as she could
blame anybody. Immorality she understood, and could excuse; for
immorality there was always some provocation; what she couldn't
stand was the unfairness of Philippa's proceeding, the inequality in
the game.

"I'm very fond of her, but--she's bad for him, Jimmy. She's worse,
far worse, than Nora, poor dear."

"I shouldn't worry about him if I were you."

"I do worry. You see, you can't help liking him. There's something
about Furny--I don't know what it is, unless it's the turn of his
nose----"

"Do you think Philippa likes him? Do you think she's at all taken
with the turn of his nose?"

"If she only would be! Not that he means to marry her. That's the
one point where he's firm. That's where he's awful. Why, oh, why did
I ever ask them? I thought he was safe with Nora."

"Did you?"

"Something must be done," she cried, "to stop it."

"Who's to do it?"

"You or I. Or Will. Anybody!"

"Look here, Fanny, let's get it quite clear. What are you worrying
about? Are you saving Philippa from Furnival, or Furnival from
Philippa?"

"Philippa," Fanny moaned, "doesn't want saving. She can take care of
herself."

"I see. You are fond of Philippa, but your sympathies are with
Furny?"

"Well he can _feel_, and Philippa----"

She left it there for him, as her way was.

"Precisely. Then why worry about Philippa?"

"Because it's really awful, and it's in my house that it'll happen."

"How long are they sta