, Rosalind, sweet my coz, be merry."

"I don't feel as if I could ever be merry again with you, Hugh," she
said.

"And here have I," he said, addressing the verandah ceiling, "passed
through dangers enough to make me loved, Othello-wise, for themselves
alone. Dangers of culverts, dangers of sharp turnings, dangers of blue
metal, of precipices, of wandering cows, of naphtha explosions. Here
have I turned myself into a demd damp moist unpleasant body just to get
to her sheltering bosom and she repulses me like this."

"It is because I am what I have never been before, Hugh," said Kate,
"and that is ashamed of you."

"Ashamed? Of me, my joy!" said Hugh, but he knew now that it was the
interview outrage that was disturbing Kate. "It knows it is talking
demd charming sweetness but naughty fibs. It knows it is not ashamed of
its own popolorum tibby."

"Which is entirely attributable," said Kate, unable to resist keeping up
the vein, "to the gross misconduct and most improper behaviour of Mr.
Mantalini."

"Of me, my essential juice of pineapple!"

"Of you, Sir!"

"Will she call me, Sir!" cried Hugh, "me who doat upon her with the
demdest ardour! She, who coils her fascination round me like a pure and
angelic rattlesnake! It will be all up with my feelings; she will throw
me into a demd state."

"Hugh," said Kate, "it is far too serious a matter for nonsense. I
consider it was not only unkind but unmanly."

"My cup of happiness's sweetener," said Hugh, as he took out his pipe
and his tobacco and his matches with much deliberation. "You brought it
upon her yourself and she has _you_ to blame." He filled his pipe with
tobacco and rammed it well in. "It will be a lesson to you"--he struck a
match--"and I trust to her"--he tilted his chair back and puffed once or
twice--"to let an inoffensive man go on his way unmolested. And now my
sweet Rose, my dear Rose, be merry."

"But you might have given her the lesson privately," persisted Kate, and
her eyes kindled. "The unmanly part comes in when you callously allow
her to become the laughing-stock of town."

"What!" thundered Hugh, and he brought his chair so suddenly and heavily
back to its four-legged condition that the frail thing responded with an
ominous creak. "What on earth do you mean?"

"Didn't you know she was going to sign the interview with her own name?"
asked Kate, glad to find there might be some extenuating circumstances.

"You don't mean seriously to t