a reduction on---"

"Hang it! He might as well have it," interrupted Charlie. "He talks to
me about it for half an hour every time we meet."

"But, my dear Charlie, you have more time than money to waste--at
least, so it seems."

His uncle's sarcasm never affected Charlie's temper.

"I'll turn him on to you, uncle," he replied, "and you can see how you
like it."

"I'll go and call on him tomorrow. You'd better come too, Charlie."

"And then you can see the ladies from London," added Mrs. Marland.
"Perhaps the one who isn't young Mr. Prime's will be interesting."

"Or," said Charlie, "as mostly happens in this woeful world, the one
who is."

"I think the less we see of that sort of person at all, the better,"
observed Lady Merceron, with gentle decision. "They can hardly be quite
what we're accustomed to."

"That sort of person!"

Charlie went to bed with the phrase ringing in his horror-struck ears.
If to be the most beautiful, the most charming, and the most refined,
the daintiest, the wittiest and prettiest, the kindest and the
sweetest, the merriest and most provoking creature in the whole
world--if to be all this were yet not to weigh against being 'that sort
of person'--if it were not, indeed, to outweigh, banish, and obliterate
everything else why, the world was not fit to live in, and he no true
Merceron! For the Merceron men had always pleased themselves.

CHAPTER III

ALL NONSENSE

On the evening of the next day, while the sun was still on the Pool,
and its waters, forgetful of darker moods and bygone tragedies, smiled
under the tickling of darting golden gleams, a girl sat on the broad
lowest step of the temple. She had rolled the sleeves of her white gown
above her elbow, up well-nigh to her shoulder, and, the afternoon being
sultry, from time to time dipped her arms in the water and, taking them
out again, amused herself by watching the bright drops race down to her
rosy fingertips. The sport was good, apparently, for she laughed and
flung back her head so that the stray locks of hair might not spoil her
sight of it. On either side of this lowest step there was a margin of
smooth level grass, and, being unable as she sat to bathe both arms at
once, presently she moved on to the grass and lay down, sinking her
elbows in the pond and leaning her face over the edge of it. The
posture had another advantage she had not thought of, and she laughed
again when she saw her own eyes twinkling at