ng. It might easily have
happened. It's all very well for you, Rickman; you're young and
irresponsible, and you haven't got to sit next to Mr. Fulcher at
dinner; but you'll own that it would have been rather an awkward
situation for me?"

"I can forgive you Fulcher, but I can't forgive you Paterson."

"And I could have forgiven you Paterson, but I couldn't forgive you
Fulcher. Do you see?"

He allowed a few moments for reflection, and continued.

"Of course, I understand your feelings. In fact I sympathize
profoundly. As a rule I never dream of touching anything with your
signature; I've far too great a reverence for style."

"Style be d----d. For all I care you may cut up my style till you
can't tell it from Fulcher's. I object to your transposing my meaning
to suit your own. Honestly, Jewdwine, I'd rather write like Fulcher
than write as you've made me appear to have written."

"My dear Rickman, that's where you make the mistake. You don't appear
at all." He smiled with urbane tolerance of the error. "The editor, as
you know, is solely responsible for unsigned reviews."

So far Jewdwine had come off well. He had always a tremendous
advantage in his hereditary manners; however right you had been to
start with, his imperturbable refinement put you grossly in the wrong.
And at this point Rickman gave himself away.

"What's the good of that?" said he, "if young Paterson believes I
wrote them?"

"Young Paterson isn't entitled to any belief in the matter."

"But--he knew."

There was a shade of genuine annoyance on Jewdwine's face.

"Oh of course, if you've told him that you were the author. That's
rather awkward for you, but it's hardly my fault. I'm sorry, Rickman,
but you really _are_ a little indiscreet."

"I wish I could explain your behaviour in the same way."

"Come, since you're so keen on explanations, how do you propose to
explain your own? I gave you certain instructions, and what right had
you to go beyond them, not to say against them?"

"What earthly right had you to make me say the exact opposite of what
I did say? But I didn't go against your instructions. Here they are."

He produced them. "You'll see that you gave me a perfectly free hand
as to space."

Jewdwine looked keenly at him. "You knew perfectly well what I meant.
And you took advantage of--of a trifling ambiguity in my phrasing, to
do--as you would say--the exact opposite. That was hardly what I
expected of you."

As he spo