w," he said
apologetically, as he finished his little speech.

"I don't see that at all," said Cheesacre.

"Why, my dear fellow, how foolishly jealous you are. If I were to be
downright uncivil to her, as you would have me be, it would only call
attention to the thing."

"I'm not a bit jealous. A man who sits upon his own ground as I do
hasn't any occasion to be jealous."

"I don't know what your own ground has to do with it,--but we'll let
that pass."

"I think it has a great deal to do with it. If a man does intend to
marry he ought to have things comfortable about him; unless he wants
to live on his wife, which I look upon as about the meanest thing a
man can do. By George, I'd sooner break stones than that."

This was hard for any captain to bear,--even for Captain Bellfield;
but he did bear it,--looking forward to revenge.

"There's no pleasing you, I know," said he. "But there's the fact.
I went to say goodbye to her, and she asked me to give you that
message. Shall we go or not?"

Cheesacre sat for some time silent, blowing out huge clouds of
smoke while he meditated a little plan. "I'll tell you what it is,
Bellfield," he said at last. "She's nothing to you, and if you won't
mind it, I'll go. Mrs Jones shall get you anything you like for
dinner,--and,--and--I'll stand you a bottle of the '34 port!"

But Captain Bellfield was not going to put up with this. He had
not sold himself altogether to work Mr Cheesacre's will. "No, old
fellow," said he; "that cock won't fight. She has asked me to dine
with her on Saturday, and I mean to go. I don't intend that she shall
think that I'm afraid of her,--or of you either."

"You don't;--don't you?"

"No, I don't," said the Captain stoutly.

"I wish you'd pay me some of that money you owe me," said Cheesacre.

"So I will,--when I've married the widow. Ha,--ha,--ha."

Cheesacre longed to turn him out of the house. Words to bid him go,
were, so to say, upon his tongue. But the man would only have taken
himself to Norwich, and would have gone without any embargo upon his
suit; all their treaties would then be at an end. "She knows a trick
worth two of that," said Cheesacre at last.

"I dare say she does; and if so, why shouldn't I go and dine with her
next Saturday?"

"I'll tell you why,--because you're in my way. The deuce is in it if
I haven't made the whole thing clear enough. I've told you all my
plans because I thought you were my friend, and I've paid