Und die Klippen, die sich buecken,
Und die langen Felsennasen,
Wie sie schnarchen, wie sie blasen!'

This was the first time he had addressed himself directly to Mary, who
sat close to her brother's side, and never took her eyes from his face,
ready to pour out his wine or to change his plate, for the serving-men
had been dismissed at the beginning of this unceremonious meal.

Mary looked at the stranger almost as superciliously as Lesbia might
have done. She was not inclined to be friendly to her brother's friend.

'Do you read German?' she inquired, with a touch of surprise.

'You had better ask him what language he does not read or speak,' said
her brother. 'Hammond is an admirable Crichton, my dear--by-the-by, who
was admirable Crichton?--knows everything, can twist your little head
the right way upon any subject.'

'Oh,' thought Mary, 'highly cultivated, is he? Very proper in a man who
was educated on charity to have worked his hardest at the University.'

She was not prepared to think very kindly of young men who had been
successful in their college career, since poor Maulevrier had made such
a dismal failure of his, had been gated and sent down, and ploughed, and
had everything ignominious done to him that could be done, which
ignominy had involved an expenditure of money that Lady Maulevrier
bemoaned and lamented until this day. Because her brother had not been
virtuous, Mary grudged virtuous young men their triumphs and their
honours. Great, raw-boned fellows, who have taken their degrees at
Scotch Universities, come to Oxford and Cambridge and sweep the board,
Maulevrier had told her, when his own failures demanded explanation.
Perhaps this Mr. Hammond had graduated north of the Tweed, and had come
southward to rob the native. Mary was not any more inclined to be civil
to him because he was a linguist. He had a pleasant manner, frank and
easy, a good voice, a cheery laugh. But she had not yet made up her mind
that he was a gentleman.

'If some benevolent old person were to take a fancy to Charles Ford, the
wrestler, and send him to a Scotch University, I daresay he would turn
out just as fine a fellow,' she thought, Ford being somewhat of a
favourite as a local hero.

The two young men went off to the billiard-room after they had dined. It
was half-past ten by this time, and, of course, Mary did not go with
them. She bade her brother good-night at the dining-room door.

'Good-night, Moll