y title is not a very ancient or
particularly honourable one, but I do not like to think of its being
dragged in the gutter by a pauper. If Godfrey married Marion he would
have the use of her income. Godfrey has certainly understood this plan
for the future. He may treat himself occasionally to the kisses of
Tottie Pringle, but he is not the man to allow kissing to interfere
with his prospect of earning a competence. Whether Marion understood
her fate or not, I do not know. She always endured Godfrey with
patience. I suppose that this condition of affairs gave Godfrey a
certain right to nod sagaciously when he spoke of looking after
Marion. But I resented both his tone and the things he said. I left
him and went up to dress.

Marion's behaviour during the evening fully justified Godfrey's fears,
though I do not think that anything would have excused him for
expressing them to me. She was amazingly cheerful during dinner, and
in so good a temper, that she continued smiling at Godfrey even when
he scowled at her. Bob Power was breezily agreeable, and I should have
thoroughly enjoyed the stories he told us if I had not been conscious
all the time that Godfrey was frowning at my right ear. He sat on
that side of me and Bob Power on the other, so my ear was, most of the
time, the nearest thing to my face that Godfrey could frown at.

After dinner Bob and Marion behaved really badly; not to Godfrey, but
to me. No one could behave badly to Godfrey because he always deserves
worse than the worst that is done to him. But I am not a very
objectionable person, and I have during the last twenty-two years
shown a good deal of kindness to Marion. I do not think that she and
Bob ought to have slipped out of the drawing-room window after singing
one short song, and left me to be worried by Godfrey for the whole
evening. Only one way of escape presented itself to me. I pretended to
go to sleep. That stopped Godfrey talking after a time; but not until
I had found it necessary to snore. I heard every word he said up to
that point. I woke up with a very good imitation of a start when Bob
and Marion came in again. That happened at ten o'clock, and Bob
immediately said good night. Under ordinary circumstances Godfrey
stays on till nearly eleven; but that night he went away five minutes
after Bob left.

Next morning there was trouble. It began with Marion's behaviour at
breakfast. As a rule she is a young woman of placid and equable
tempe