d like a pipe.
For the human face, when it is graced by a pipe, and when the pipe is
being puffed, assumes, somehow, a rare and wonderful expression of
profound and solemn thought. Besides, the presence of the pipe in the
mouth is a check to any overhasty remark. Vain and empty words are thus
repressed, and thought, divine thought, reigns supreme. And so as I sat
in silence before Jack, if I didn't have any profound thoughts in my
mind, I at least had the appearance of it, which after all served my
purpose quite as well.

"I don't mind telling you all about it, old chap," said Jack, at last,
who had by this time passed into a better frame of mind, and looked
more like his old self. "You've known all about the row, all along, and
you'll have to be in at the death, so I'll tell you now. You'll have to
help me through--you'll be my best man, and all that sort of thing, you
know--and this is the best tune for making a clean breast of it, you
know: so here goes."

Upon this Jack drew a long breath, and then began:

"I've told you already," he said, "how abominably kind she was. You
know when I called on her after the row with Miss Phillips, how sweet
she was, and all that, and how I settled down on the old terms. I
hadn't the heart to get up a row with her, and hadn't even the idea of
such a thing. When a lady is civil, and kind, and all that, what can a
fellow do? So you see I went there as regular as clock-work, and dined,
and then left. Sometimes I went at six, and stayed till eight;
sometimes at five, and stayed till nine. But that was very seldom.
Sometimes, you know, she'd get me talking, and somehow the time would
fly, and it would be ever so late before I could get away. I'm always
an ass, and so I felt tickled, no end, at her unfailing kindness to me,
and took it all as so much incense, and all that--I was her deity, you
know--snuffing up incense--receiving her devotion--feeling half sorry
that I couldn't quite reciprocate, and making an infernal fool of
myself generally.

"Now you know I'm such a confounded ass that her very reticence about
my other affairs, and her quiet way of taking them, rather piqued me;
and several times I threw out hints about them, to see what she would
say. At such times she would smile in a knowing way, but say nothing.
At last there was one evening--it was a little over a week ago--I went
there, and found her more cordial than ever, more amusing, more
fascinating--kinder, you know,