about? To marry Flossie? Or
not to marry her? That was the question which agitated poor Spinks
from morning till night, or rather from night till morning. The worst
of it was that the very nature of his woes compelled him as an
honourable person to keep them to himself.

But there was no secret which could be long concealed from the eyes of
that clever lady, Miss Roots; and she had contrived in the most
delicate manner to convey to the unfortunate youth that he had her
sympathy. Spinks, bound by his honour, had used no words in divulging
his agony; but their unspoken confidences had gone so far that Miss
Roots at last permitted herself to say that it might be as well to
find out whether "it was on or off."

"But," said the miserable Spinks, "would that be fair to Rickman?"

"I think so," said the lady, with a smile that would have been sweet
had it been rather less astute. "Mind you, I'm not in their secrets;
but I believe you really needn't be afraid of that."

"Yes. But how in Heaven's name am I to find out? I can't ask him, and
I can't ask her."

"Why can't you ask them?"

Spinks was unable to say why; but his delicacy shrank from either
course as in some subtle way unfair. Besides he distrusted Miss
Roots's counsel, for she had not been nice to Flossie.

"Oh Lord," said Spinks, "what an orful mess I'm in!" He said it to
himself; for he had resolved to talk no longer to Miss Roots.

He could have borne it better had not the terrible preoccupation of
Rickman thrown Flossie on his hands. In common decency he had to talk
to her at the dinner-table. But it was chivalry (surely) that drew him
to her in the drawing-room afterwards. She had to be protected (poor
Flossie) from the shrewdness of Miss Roots, the impertinence of Mr.
Soper, and the painful sympathy of the other boarders. With the very
best and noblest intentions in the world, Mr. Spinks descended nightly
into that atmosphere of gloom, and there let loose his imperishable
hilarity.

He was quite safe, he knew, as long as their relations could be kept
upon a purely hilarious footing; but Flossie's manner intimated (what
it had never intimated before) that she now realized and preferred the
serious side of him; and there was no way by which the humorous Spinks
was more profoundly flattered than in being taken seriously. Some
nights they had the drawing-room to themselves but for the harmless
presence of Mr. Partridge dozing in his chair; and then, to se